When the Cincinnati Bengals routed the Buffalo Bills in the 2022 NFL playoffs they looked unstoppable. It was a statement win and it looked like the Bengals were on their way to another Super Bowl. There was only one problem, the Kansas City Chiefs were ready for revenge. Patrick Mahomes finally beat Joe Burrow and the Bengals in the AFC Championship game ending Cincinnati’s season. The Bengals once again look to be at the top of the AFC. Is this the year Cincinnati wins it all? Find out below as we offer a record prediction for the 2023-2024 season.
The Good
In Joe Burrow’s rookie season, he had one of the worst offensive lines in the NFL. He was constantly under pressure and ultimately went down with an ACL injury. Finally coming into next season Burrow will have a respectable offensive line with newly acquired LT Orlando Brown Jr. leading the way. The Bengals were able to pry Brown Jr. away from the Chiefs giving them an advantage over their rival. If Jonah Williams can successfully make the switch to RT and bounce back from a rough year this o-line could be a top-10 group.
Despite only playing in 12 games last season due to injury, Ja’Marr Chase was still able to surpass the 1,000 yards mark. Chase has solidified himself as one of the best wide receivers in the NFL in just 2 seasons. He is now fully healthy and you can expect big numbers for Chase in 2023. The chemistry between Chase and Burrow will only improve going forward. Also, expect more deep shots to Chase as this improved o-line should give Burrow more time in the pocket. Chase could end up chasing Justin Jefferson for the league lead in reception yards.
The Bad
While it’s hard to find a true weakness on the Bengals roster, there are two areas of concern. Cincinnati took a hit to their secondary when they lost safeties Von Bell and Jessie Bates III. They will now rely on their former 1st round pick Daxton Hill to step up into the starting safety role. To me losing these two will have a pretty significant impact on the Bengals secondary. Bates III was an anchor at the free safety position and was underrated during his time in Cincinnati. Bell had an impressive 2022 campaign and had 4 interceptions at the strong safety spot. I will be watching closely how this impacts the Bengals defense going forward.
The other area of concern is running back depth. Cincinnati lost running back Samaje Perine to the Broncos this offseason. Perine was a tank for the Bengals and offered a nice 1-2 punch with Joe Mixon. With Perine no longer there, the Bengals will look to 5th-round rookie Chase Brown to fill the backup role. Brown was impressive during his time at Illinois but I am not expecting the same amount of production that they had with Perine. If Joe Mixon goes down Cincinnati could be in serious trouble.
The Prediction
Cincinnati has all the ingredients of a Super Bowl team. They do have some minor concerns as I previously pointed out but overall they are in the conversation as one of the league’s best. Joe Burrow gave us all a recent scare when he went down during a training camp practice. It looks as if that was just a minor calf injury and he will return by the start of the season. Obviously, Burrow’s health is the key for the Bengals to make a deep run and if he stays healthy Cincinnati will be a threat in the AFC.
2023 Record: 13-4 (1st in the Division)
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