Will they make history, or will they fall flat?
The Cincinnati Bengals are a little over thirty percent done with the regular season, and saying they didn’t get off to the start they hoped they would is an understatement. They’re heading into their second AFC North matchup in Week 7 with a 2-4 record.
They’re not in the basement — that level is currently being rented out by the Cleveland Browns, the Bengals’ opponent on Sunday — but they’ve fallen behind the Ravens and Steelers, who are both 4-2.
The Bengals can still win the division, but they’d have to be close to perfect from here on out. A wildcard spot in the playoffs isn’t necessarily out of the realm of possibility, though, especially if they can start putting some complete games together now that the defense is healthy.
Here’s my prediction on how the rest of the season goes, and where they’ll land when the final seconds tick off the clock in Week 18.
Week 7 – at Browns
The Bengals won an ugly game against the Giants under the lights on the road. The Giants aren’t as good as the Bengals, but I don’t know if I’d go as far to say they’re a bad team.
The Browns are a bad team. Everything that can go wrong with them, especially on offense, has gone wrong, and the the entire franchise seems as if it’s ready to explode.
That makes me happy.
The Bengals win this one in dominating fashion.
Record: 3-4
Week 8 – Eagles
The Eagles aren’t quite the team they were over the last couple seasons, but they’re still a very good team, and they’re my favorite to win the NFC East. The combination of Jalen Hurts and Saquan Barkley is terrifying, and they have one of the better group of wide receivers in the league.
This game has shootout written all over it, and now that the Bengals’ defense is healthy, I expect them to use Browns week to sharpen their Eagles-hunting weapons (not Bald Eagles, obviously).
Bengals win a thriller in OT at home, staying undefeated when dressed all in white!
Record: 4-4
Week 9 – Raiders
Riding a high after defeating a tough team in an awesome atmosphere, the Bengals overwhelming offense smothers the Raiders, making them one dimensional. Suddenly the Bengals have a winning record and the national media remembers they exist.
Bengals win.
Record: 5-4
Week 10 – at Ravens
The Bengals, now with a winning record, go to Baltimore and…….
Lose.
The Ravens look like legit contenders right now, and the Bengals have yet put a complete game together where they looked like the team we hoped they could before the season started. They missed their shot at splitting with the Ravens when they lost in OT in Week 5.
It’s a good game, but the Ravens come out on top.
Record: 5-5
Week 11 – at Chargers
The Bengals haven’t played many games, in the Joe Burrow era, at least, in the Pacific Time Zone. They’re 2-1 when when they’re playing three hours behind, their only loss coming to…..
The Rams in their home stadium in the Super Bowl.
Now they take on Jim Harbaugh’s Chargers in the same stadium. The Chargers are among the NFL’s swollen midsection. When they’re good, they’re just that…. good. They’re not going to win their division, and they might contend for a wildcard spot.
Bengals bounce back from a loss and take this one.
Record: 6-5
Week 12 – Bye
Week 13 – Steelers
The Steelers we have right now remind me of the Steelers before Big Ben came along. Back when they leaned on a dominant defense, a strong running game and their quarterback managed the game well. They’re not lighting the world on fire with offense, but there’s a reason the Steelers are 4-2 right now.
Having said that, I trust the Bengals defense against Justin Fields more than I trust any defense against Joe Burrow.
Bengals stack another win.
Record: 7-5
Week 14 – at Cowboys
Who are the Dallas Cowboys? I don’t even think Jerry Jones knows the answer to that question. The Cowboys, like the Bengals, have yet to win a game in their home stadium in front of their own fans. They have shown they have the potential to win big, and the potential to just mess themselves (that’s a nice way to say piss down their own leg). Kinda like the Bengals!
Who comes out on top?
The Bengals should win this game.
They won’t.
Record: 7-6
Week 15 – at Titans
Zac Taylor takes on his former offensive coordinator. Will the student defeat his former master?
Not with that team he won’t.
Bengals win on the road in a partially filled stadium.
Record 8-6
Week 16 – Browns
At this point in the season, if things continue they way they have been, the residents of Cleveland will be burning effigies of Deshaun Watson in public. He is very likely one of the worst free agency signings in the history of the NFL, and with his salary being structured the way it is, he’s going to be awfully tough to move on from.
And I’ll sit on the hills of Cincinnati with a powerful telescope and eat delicious treats and drink as the city of Cleveland burns.
I hate the Browns.
Bengals sweep the Browns in 2024, almost making the slow start worth it.
Almost.
Record: 9-6
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This is the point in the season where we’ll start to figure out if the Bengals have an opportunity to win the AFC North or not. I’m predicting their slow start comes back to kill their division-title hopes (as long as Lamar Jackson stays healthy), but they’re still alive for a wildcard spot.
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Week 17 – Broncos
The Broncos look like a team with a young quarterback who’s in the process of figuring things out. They’ve had a very mediocre offense, but they’ve played some tough defense. I don’t think Sean Payton is going to be able to do enough to overcome a powerful Bengals offense.
Bengals win at home and are primed for a postseason berth.
Record: 10-6
Week 18 – at Steelers
It all comes down to Steelers week. Who else would you rather have standing in the way of a Bengals postseason berth? It’s the classic battle between good and evil. This is practically a playoff game for the Bengals and it could be for the Steelers as well.
The Steelers have the most dominant defense in the division. They have top-tier talent at all three levels, and they’re extremely well coached.
The Bengals I have seen play so far this season haven’t put together a complete game, and winning in Pittsburgh in a huge game whose winner could be looking at a wildcard spot will require a complete game.
Maybe today’s Bengals evolve into something greater by Week 18.
But right now I say they lose.
Record: 10-7
So where does a 10-7 record land the Bengals?
I don’t know. It’s possible they squeak into a six or seven seed with 10 wins, but it’s also possible they miss the playoffs completely.
If they do go to the playoffs, they obviously would have to do all their work on the road. It’s not like they haven’t had success in the playoffs on the road in the past, but it won’t be easy.
In the end, another slow start likely dooms the Bengals when the season is all said and done. They waste an MVP-level season from their star quarterback, they waste the final season of Chase and Higgins together, and they go back to the drawing board before 2025.
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