If there’s one team in the AFC that is not intimidated by the Kansas City Chiefs, it is the Cincinnati Bengals. While the Bengals certainly can’t claim to own the Chiefs, they have done quite well against the two-time defending Super Bowl champions.
The Bengals and Joe Burrow won three confrontations with the Chiefs and Patrick Mahomes in the calendar year of 2022 before the Chiefs rebounded with a pair of wins the following calendar year. A quarterback who has been able to gain a slight edge on Mahomes is clearly worthy of maximum respect throughout the NFL.
The Bengals are a very talented team, but they struggled most of last season and finished with a 9-8 record. That was not good enough to make the playoffs and it left the Bengals in last place in the AFC Central.
While that speaks to how tough the division is with the Baltimore Ravens, Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns all asserting themselves, the biggest reason for their absence from the postseason was the lack of overall health from Burrow.
He suffered a strained calf early in training camp that forced him to miss most of the team’s summertime activities, and then had a wrist injury that kept him out of the lineup for the last seven games of the year.
While Burrow is the centerpiece of the team, the Bengals are a talented group that should be able to make a run at the division title and perhaps a spot in the Super Bowl.
Bengals have talent throughout their roster
The Bengals have one of the most talented duos at the wide receiver position. Ja’Marr Chase is an elite No. 1 receiver while Tee Higgins is nearly as good and is clearly an ideal No. 2 receiver.
Chase is coming off a brilliant season in which he caught 100 passes for 1,216 yards and 7 touchdowns, while Higgins caught 42 passes for 656 yards and 5 touchdowns in a season that was limited by injuries. He had more that 1,000 receiving yards in each of the two previous seasons.
In addition to those two, tight end Mike Gesicki gives Burrow another receiving option, particularly on third-down plays.
If former Colt Zack Moss can give Burrow a solid running game, the Bengals have a chance to put together one of the most exciting offensive teams in the league.
The Bengals struggled on defense throughout much of the 2023 season, as they ranked 31st in yards allowed and 28th in passing yards allowed. They were somewhat better in preventing opponents from scoring, as they allowed 22.6 points per game. That figure ranked 21st in the league
Despite those problems, that hey have some brilliant talent. Trey Hendrickson is a three-time Pro Bowler who led the Bengals with 17.5 sacks. There’s no reason to think that he won’t match or at least come close to that mark this season.
The Bengals added safety Geno Stone through free agency. He had seven interceptions with the Baltimore Ravens last season and developed a take-charge attitude. The Bengals are expecting him to provide steady play and leadership.
Burrow must come through
There’s no getting around the fact that Burrow is the best and most important player on the team. A look at his track record indicates that Burrow has been excellent throughout the first four years of his career, and he deserves to be ranked with the best quarterbacks in the game.
Burrow took over as the Bengals QB1 during his rookie season in 2020. He started 10 games that year, threw for 2,688 yards and had a 13-5 touchdown to interception ratio.
He hit his stride in Year 2, leading the Bengals to the Super Bowl by completing 366 of 520 passes for 4,611 yards with a 34-14 TD-interception ratio. He was nearly as good in 2022 as he threw for 4,475 yards with a 35-12 TD-interception ratio.
In addition to the numbers, Burrow has all the tools needed to lead the Bengals to a championship. He is strong, athletic, runs well and can find open receivers once protection starts to break down.
The pressure is clearly on Burrow to stay healthy and deliver championship-level performances on a consistent basis. He has demonstrated in the past that he can hold his own against Mahomes, and he will have that chance in Week 2 on the road and possibly again in the postseason.