Jim Powers NFL Betting Preview:
Cincinnati Bengals’ season odds hinge on the success of their fourth QB in the last 26 years to be selected with the No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft. Heisman Trophy winner Joe Burrow was a resounding top choice and will be tasked with reviving a franchise that hasn’t won a playoff game since 1990. Marvin Lewis won four division titles and led the Bengals to five straight playoff appearances at the start of the decade but they crashed out in the Wild Card each time
Lewis’ failures led Cincinnati to replace him with Zac Taylor at the end of the 2018 season. Taylor had never been more than a quarterbacks coach before taking over the Bengals. A 2-14 record in his first year on the job hasn’t inspired much confidence.
Cincinnati Bengals Regular Season Win Total
Over 5.5 +139
Under 5.5 +115
Cincinnati Bengals to Make the Playoffs Odds
Yes +675
No -1250
Rookie Handed Keys to the Attack
Burrow will likely be the Week 1 starter in Cincinnati. He will be tasked with improving a Bengals’ offense that ranked 30th in the NFL in scoring in 2019. Although he is a rookie, there is a good chance this offense improves in his first season under center. In an interesting twist, his collegiate career was most comparable to the last player the Bengals took with the No. 1 overall pick, Carson Palmer.
Cincinnati does have some tantalizing options for Burrow to target in the passing game. John Ross III is one of the NFL’s fastest players, and Tyler Boyd is a very good possession receiver.
Auden Tate had a breakout campaign last year, and Tee Higgins was selected with the first pick in the second round to give Burrow another option. Of course, the key to the passing game is A.J. Green. The perennial Pro Bowler missed all of last season due to injury but makes this side of the ball more explosive upon his return.
A healthy Jonah Williams should help the offensive line and could significantly bolster the fortunes of bettors optimistic about Cincinnati Bengals season odds. Williams was the team’s first round pick last season, but missed the entire 2019 campaign due to injury too. There isn’t a lot of talent elsewhere on the offensive line, yet Joe Mixon posted respectable numbers anyway last season.
Veteran Front Four Paces Defense
This defense is a work in progress. The strength of the unit is clearly the defensive line. Geno Atkins made the Pro Bowl eight times during the 2010s and was elected to the All-Decade Team. Carlos Dunlap has been one of the top defensive ends in the game for some time. D.J. Reader was a solid nose tackle in Houston, and he signed a four-year, $53 million contract with Cincinnati in the offseason.
The problem for the Bengals is the back seven. There is scant talent in the linebacking corps, and that led to Cincinnati selecting three linebackers in the 2020 NFL Draft. They hope these players can make an instant impact since LB Nick Vigil left for Los Angeles in the offseason.
The secondary is better, but not by much. William Jackson III has underwhelmed since being drafted in the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft, so former Vikings’ corners Trae Waynes and Mackensie Alexander were acquired to help shore up this position group. Safeties Shawn Williams and Jessie Bates III have been good tacklers, but their pass protection skills leave much to be desired. Backing another rough finish on Cincinnati Bengals’ season odds props means you don’t forecast much improvement in the back.
Cincinnati Bengals Schedule
A return to the postseason is too much for the Bengals to hope for this year. They are clearly the least talented team in the AFC North. Cincinnati might be an underdog in every division game. Cleveland, Baltimore, and Pittsburgh are all playoff contenders.
The rest of the schedule is manageable though as the Bengals play the Dolphins and the Chargers, and two of the less difficult divisions in the AFC South and NFC East.
2020 Season: Cincinnati Bengals Prediction
There will be improvement in Cincinnati this season, but it is unlikely to get to six wins. Their two most winnable games are early in the season when Burrow will still be getting adjusted to the NFL, while December figures to be brutal.
