Glenn Kaplan
The Cincinnati Bengals won the AFC North in the Joe Burrow era in 2021-2022 and in 2022-2023. Cincinnati made it to the AFC Championship Game or beyond in both of those instances. Ever since, the Bengals have not made it to the playoffs. There are many questions about this franchise as the 2026-2027 NFL season approaches. Will this be the end of the road of head coach Zac Taylor if things don’t go well?
Would Burrow request a trade from Cincinnati if they were to miss the playoffs at the end of the season? The Bengals made several moves on the defensive side of the football this offseason to improve it. In 2025-2026, the Bengals finished with a 6-11 record. They had the 10th overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, but they traded that pick away to the New York Giants for defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence. If Cincinnati were to be better than the last three seasons, what has to go right for them?
CBS Sports Tyler Sullivan thinks the Cincinnati Bengals can win the AFC North
Tyler Sullivan of CBS Sports listed the best-case and worst-case scenarios for each NFL team as the 2026 NFL season approaches. The Bengals have won the AFC North division before in the Burrow era. He thinks that it could possibly happen this upcoming season. Sullivan said, “First and foremost, the dynamic trio of Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins stay healthy, keeping the team’s floor high. Beyond that, the changes Cincinnati made to its defense effectively turn the unit around overnight. The additions of Dexter Lawrence and Boye Mafe provide some much-needed veteran leadership, while in-house players like Myles Murphy and Shemar Stewart also rise to the occasion. The Bengals win the AFC North for the first time since 2022, return to the Super Bowl and win it.”
There are two important factors for the Bengals that matter. The first factor is that Burrow has to stay healthy. If he does stay healthy, there is a very good chance that Burrow can win the MVP award. He has the chance to throw for over 4,500 yards and 30 touchdowns. Burrow is 29 years old and is win-now mode. Last season in eight games, he completed 66.8% of his passes for 1,809 yards, 17 touchdowns, and five interceptions. Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins is one of the best wide receiver tandems in the NFL.
Secondly, the defense has to be better than it was over the last two seasons. The Bengals defense gave up so many points. They have a ton of new starters on that side of the football. If they are just average, the Bengals will win 11-12 games.
Schedule
During the first five weeks of the season, the Bengals will be facing the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Houston Texans, the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Jacksonville Jaguars, and the Miami Dolphins. The first five games will tell how Cincinnati’s season will go. There is a good chance that they are 3-2 or better after the first five weeks of the season. The Bengals are going to need to sweep the Cleveland Browns and at least split against the Baltimore Ravens. If the Bengals do win 11-12 games, they will probably be at least a three seed in the AFC playoffs.
