I think it is safe to say the Bengals had a pretty poor season in 2019. First year head coach, Zac Taylor, was practically given no talent which is why the Bengals finished the year at 2-14. It took only 9 seasons for starting quarterback, Andy Dalton, to be benched although he had missed three games in 2015 and five in 2018 due to thumb injuries. Dalton regained the starting job after three weeks since his replacement, Ryan Finley, didn't have any success either. Star receiver, AJ Green did not help the cause as he was once potentially able to return as early as week six, but ended up missing the entire season. This poor season resulted in the Bengals earning the number one overall pick and the opportunity to draft reigning Heisman winner and national champion, Joe Burrow. The Bengals enhanced their offense even more by selecting wide receiver, Tee Higgins out of Clemson with their second round pick. Although I don't they are ready to seriously compete in the tough division they are in, I think the Bengals have a bright future ahead. Below is my regular season prediction for the Cincinnati Bengals.
Week 1: vs. Los Angeles Chargers - win
Week 2: @ Cleveland Browns - loss
Week 3: @ Philadelphia Eagles - loss
Week 4: vs. Jacksonville Jaguars - win
Week 5: @ Baltimore Ravens - loss
Week 6: @ Indianapolis Colts - loss
Week 7: vs. Cleveland Browns - win
Week 8: vs. Tennessee Titans - loss
Week 9: Bye Week
Week 10: @ Pittsburgh Steelers - loss
Week 11: @ Washington Redskins - win
Week 12: vs. New York Giants - win
Week 13: @ Miami Dolphins - win
Week 14: vs. Dallas Cowboys - loss
Week 15: vs. Pittsburgh Steelers - loss
Week 16: @ Houston Texans - loss
Week 17: vs. Baltimore Ravens - loss
I have the Bengals going 6-10 this year but most of their wins are against relatively crappy teams to be honest. I think the Bengals strongest win of the season comes in week seven at home against their division rivals in the Browns. I think Burrow and Higgins have a monster game and prove they are just as good as Baker and Odell can be. Another game I'm looking forward to is the week 15 matchup against the Steelers. I think the Steelers win by double digits when they first square off in week 10 so I'm interested to see how Burrow adjusts his game to make it more competitive or even win. Although I don't think the Bengals win this week 15 matchup, I think Burrow shows massive signs of improvement and makes it known that he is there to stay in the AFC North and going to compete in following years. Lastly, I'm psyched for the Bengals week 13 matchup against Tua and the Dolphins. This will be the first of hopefully many Tua vs. Burrow head to heads. I think Burrow will prove why he was the number one overall pick in this game as the Bengals slightly edge the Dolphins on the road.
*At the end of this series, once I have gone through every team, I will give my playoff predictions as well as season awards.*
Great predictions!