The Cincinnati Bengals have a new hump that they’ll be desperately be trying to get over next season. Just winning games and staying away from off-field shenanigans used to be their mark of success. Now, after losing in the AFC wild-card round for the third consecutive season, the bar has been raised. It is now the fourth time in five seasons that the Bengals have failed to win a game in the postseason and they haven’t won a playoff game since the wild-card round in 1990.
The pressure is on the Bengals to get to the next round and if they don’t, heads will roll.
Strengths
Even though there is a new offensive coordinator in town in Hue Jackson, who likes to run the ball, he would do well to take advantage of Cincinnati’s receiving weapons. A.J. Green is in the conversation for “best WR in the game not named Calvin Johnson” while Marvin Jones had a huge season when you consider how much he was on the field. With tight ends Jermaine Gresham and Tyler Eifert, there is no shortage of weapons. Andy Dalton has improved his touchdown numbers over his three seasons, however, he has to keep his turnovers down (20 picks last season). Jackson will likely focus on the ground game more to protect Dalton and keep him away from those mistakes. Dalton might have a frail mental state after a calamitous postseason – again. As much flack as Dalton gets for not being able to take the Bengals to the next level, the Bengals will drop several
The Bengals defense was fifth in both passing and rushing defense, and all 11 projected started were on the team last season, so they have continuity. Paul Guenther has been promoted to coordinator, but he has been with the team since 2005, while head coach Marvin Lewis has a major say in the team defense anyway, so they should be fine on that side of the ball.
Weaknesses
Being a starting quarterback in the NFL means pressure and Dalton has struggled to live up to the hype – especially in the postseason. In their 27-10 loss to San Diego, Dalton had three straight turnovers in the second half that basically ended their season. The Bengals are trying to dial it back with Dalton but with Green and Jones out wide, they have to use them to the best of their ability. That starts with Dalton. The hope is that he cuts down on his mistakes but he’s entering the last year of his contract. If he can’t stop the turnovers, he could be gone.
The Bengals want to run more but who is the No. 1 guy? BenJarvus Green-Ellis? Giovani Bernard? Will Rex Burkhead or Jeremy Hill get a look? Green-Ellis is a blue collar worker but below average. Bernard has burst but seems to be too small to rely on for 20 carries between the tackles. We’ll have to see if someone emerges because right now, the ground game doesn’t look too reliable.
Schedule
Cincinnati’s schedule is ranked 23rd in difficulty and it opens up with a visit to Baltimore. They play six home games in the first 10 weeks of the season, so they have a chance to get out to a good start and build some momentum (the Bengals’ bye comes in Week 4). Their big test of the season comes in Weeks 11-13 where they visit New Orleans, Houston and Tampa Bay. The Bengals will be looking to win two of those games. They also end the regular season in Pittsburgh.
Outlook
The Bengals won the AFC North last season but they’ll be hard-pressed to hold off the Baltimore Ravens, Pittsburgh Steelers and even a rejuvenated Cleveland Browns franchise. Luckily, the Bengals have a good-to-great defense – probably the best in the division – and an elite offense when Dalton isn’t making a mess of things. That will be enough to get them over that win total. What happens in the playoffs? That’s a different story.
Pick: Over 9
