2016 Season Preview: Cincinnati Bengals
Despite consistently boasting one of the NFL’s most talented rosters over the course of this current decade, the Cincinnati Bengals hold arguably the league’s most unwanted record. The Ohio franchise have not won in the postseason for a quarter of a century – pro football’s longest enduring drought. But is this the season where the tide will finally turn?
2015 Summary
The Bengals’ inability to record wins in the playoffs is something of a long-running joke among fans of rival teams, but Cincy proved in 2015 that they should absolutely be taken seriously. Marvin Lewis’ team finished their regular season slate at 12-4 (their best performance since 1988) after winning their first eight match-ups – including an overtime win over Seattle and a 16-10 victory against Pittsburgh, the team that eventually slayed the Bengals in the wildcard round.
Aside from a 33-20 defeat to the Steelers in the return fixture in week 14, Cincinnati never lost a game by more than four points the remainder of the season. In short, they were mightily impressive in 2015 and had Andy Dalton not gone down late in the campaign, leaving the inexperienced AJ McCarron at the helm, the AFC North champions may well have broken their playoff duck at long last.
Team Strengths
It’s tough to pinpoint exactly where the Bengals are strongest because, frankly, they’re strong just about everywhere on the field. However, it would be criminal to not mention Cincy’s exceptional receiving tandem, consisting of A.J Green and Tyler Eifert. Both Pro Bowlers in 2015, Green and Eifert are as good as any partnership in the NFL when they are on song. Last time out, Green recorded his fifth straight 1,000+ yard season. To put that achievement into context, only one other man in NFL history has ever come straight out of college and gone over 1,000 yards five years running. That man’s name is Randy Moss. AFC North cornerbacks are terrified of what A.J Green can do, and rightly so.
On the defensive side of the ball, the Bengals aren’t too shabby either. Through the efforts of the likes of Geno Atkins and Adam Jones last season, Cincy ended the season with the second-best defence in football. In essence, the Bengals are hard to score on, and hard to defend against, It’s a nightmare combination for their opponents and it’s unlikely to be any different this year.
Team Weaknesses
As much as the Bengals’ receiving core is regarded as a strength as this stage, due to the sheer talent of Green and Eifert, it may end up proving to be Cincinnati’s downfall due to the depth they lost this offseason. Both Mohamed Sanu and Marvin Jones headed for pastures new in free agency, and both were key contributors last season, opening up gaps for their comrades whilst making a few plays themselves. Brandon LaFell and rookie Tyler Boyd now fit the depth chart at WR2 and WR3 respectively, but their production levels are up in the air. If they fail to meet last season’s standards, the Bengals’ top-end receivers may face lean years as they’re covered out of games.
The Bengals’ defensive line has a genuine star in Geno Atkins – a dominant player who can lay waste to whatever’s in his path – but little in terms of supporting talent. Sure, it’s not a bad unit, but players like Domata Peko and Ray Maualuga are not much more than average and they may struggle somewhat against top-flight offences, which incidentally is exactly what they’ll have to overcome to grab that elusive postseason win.
Best Case
Let’s be serious. All the talk surrounding the Bengals is about finally winning a game in January, but when it comes down to it, this is a team that is capable of much more than just that. If they can remain relatively healthy across the board, Cincy have the talent to sweep the AFC North, and with what appears to be an okay schedule, they might just top their 2015 record and finish up at 13-3. After that, it’s all about mentality. If the Bengals have it in good order, a Super Bowl appearance is not out of the question.
Worst Case
At this point, it’s really tough to see a team this talented falling off the cliff so suddenly. Even an injury to Dalton last season wasn’t enough to bring them crashing down (they came very close to beating the Steelers in the wildcard round despite McCarron stepping in under centre). If lady luck is against Cincinnati, I still see the franchise going 10-6 and challenging for the AFC North crown. They’ll lose in the first round of the playoffs though, of course.
Prediction
This team is too good to not perform well this season, so I predict that they will repeat their 2015 feat and go 12-4 in the upcoming season. However, this time, I believe the Bengals will finally get over their hump and record at least one victory in the postseason – proving that the franchise is not cursed and that the front office’s faith in Marvin Lewis over the years has not all been for nothing.
Will the Bengals finally end their 25-year wait for a playoff win?
Yes!
It’s been a long time coming.
No!
The agony continues.