The good thing about Joe Burrow being on the team is the Bengals don’t have to play against him.
While an NFL team doesn’t need a franchise quarterback to win a Super Bowl, having one definitely makes it easier.
The last five quarterbacks to win the whole thing were Patrick Mahomes, Tom Brady, and Matthew Stafford. While it isn’t impossible to win without a star behind center, it’s improbable. No position has more control over the game than a quarterback.
The Athletic’s Mike Sando recently ranked each team’s strength of schedule based on the quarterbacks they play by organizing all the signal callers into tiers.
According to Sando’s ranking, the Cincinnati Bengals have the fourth-easiest schedule in the NFL in 2024.
“Burrow’s injury last season delivered a fourth-place schedule (hello, Jacoby Brissett and Will Levis),” Sando wrote. “That last-place divisional finished also helped Cincy draft Carolina and Bryce Young for its 17th opponent. The Bengals play seven games against Tier 4 quarterbacks, tied with the Chargers, Jaguars, Bears and Falcons for most in the NFL.”
The Bengals face only one Tier 1 quarterback, and that, of course, is Patrick Mahomes. Sando considers Lamar Jackson, Justin Herbert, Dak Prescott and Jalen Hurts to be Tier 2. Tier 3 includes Deshaun Watson and Russell Wilson, and Tier 4 is all the other quarterbacks, which includes Daniel Jones, Gardner Minshew, Brissett, Young, Levis, and the rookie quarterbacks they face (Bo NIx and Jayden Daniels).
The Bengals defense has a rebuilt secondary. They brought in Geno Stone and brought back Vonn Bell to help lead the safety room, and they still have Jordan Battle in the position as well. Dax Hill’s move to corner seems to have worked fairly well, at least through the preseason (which doesn’t count), and Josh Newton needs a little development but definitely has talent.
The rebuilt secondary, coupled with some added pass-rushing juice supplied by Sheldon Rankins, should hopefully put Lou Anarumo’s defense in a good position to help the offense reach a Super Bowl. Playing against only one Tier 1 quarterback, in Sando’s opinion, will help.
And before you ask, of course, Joe Burrow was Tier 1. He, Mahomes, and Buffalo’s Josh Allen are the three top quarterbacks in the league.
Not playing against Burrow helps, too!
