In less than a week the new NFL 2024 season will be underway. There will be 32 teams fighting and scrapping for the right to be called World Champions. About a third of those teams have a legitimate chance of actually winning the Lombardi trophy. The Cincinnati Bengals are one of those team that has a chance.
In back-to-back seasons, the Bengals appeared in the AFC Championship, winning one of them. The key players on those teams are primed and ready for the upcoming season. On offense, QB Joe Burrow is the unquestioned leader. Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins are the playmaking wide receivers. On defense, Logan Wilson and Jermaine Pratt are veterans from those championship teams. Vonn Bell, Mike Hilton and Sam Hubbard are important supporting caste members from those teams. At the end of the day the Bengals chances are the same as everyone else. Any success will be dependent on how healthy your key members can remain. When a player or players do go down, are your second and third string players up to the test?
Cincinnati finished the pre season 0-3. The Bengal backups were outplayed thoroughly in all their preseason games. No stats count. Luckily preseason is just a time for coaches to evaluate how good (or not so good) a backup is. This past season the Bengals went shopping for free agents. There was a big need on the offensive line and on the defensive line. Sheldon Rankins replaced the beloved D.J. Reader in the interior. On the offensive line Jonah Williams was replaced by Trent Brown. We will soon find out if the replacements can fill the much needed voids.
Last season, Cincinnati finished 9-8. Let’s face it. Once quarterback Joe Burrow was lost for the year, the season was a wash. Should Burrow sustain another season ending injury in 2024 the Bengals chances of bringing home any type of trophy drops dramatically. As elite as Burrow has been being one of the top QB’s in the League, the LSU Heisman winning product does have the stigma of being injury prone.
No NFL team wins any title without not only being good, but also being lucky. The Chiefs aren’t the Chiefs without Patrick Mahomes. The Ravens aren’t the Ravens without Lamar Jackson.
If Cincy can remain fairly healthy with key players the prognosis for 2024 looks pretty good. The AFC North may be the toughest division in the NFL. All four teams are playoff capable. It’s all about keeping up with the Joneses for Cinti. That starts with a victory over the New England Patriots this Sunday.