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Bengals predicted to have a winning record in 2021

By Leigh Oleszczak

HOUSTON, TEXAS - DECEMBER 27: Offensive guard Fred Johnson #74 of the Cincinnati Bengals celebrates with running back Samaje Perine #34, after Samaje rushed for a touchdown in the fourth quarter of the game against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium on December 27, 2020 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
HOUSTON, TEXAS - DECEMBER 27: Offensive guard Fred Johnson #74 of the Cincinnati Bengals celebrates with running back Samaje Perine #34, after Samaje rushed for a touchdown in the fourth quarter of the game against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium on December 27, 2020 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images) /
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While most people in the NFL circle are drooling over the Cleveland Browns and Baltimore Ravens, the Cincinnati Bengals are forgotten about and destined to be in the basement of the AFC North forever.

Well, not everyone believes the Bengals will be bad this year.

John Breech of CBS Sports predicted how he thought every Bengals game would go in 2021 and surprisingly, he has them going 9-8 (the 17th game throws the numbers off and I hate it). This would be a huge accomplishment if the Bengals could win nine games and post a winning record for the first time in the Zac Taylor era.

The reason Breech feels confident in the Bengals this year is because Joe Burrow is back and healthy and that the team beefed up both the offensive line and the defensive side of the ball. He likes what Cincinnati did this offseason and also noted that the schedule isn’t so bad in the first half of the season.

The Bengals were predicted to go 9-8 in 2021.

Some takeaways from Breech’s article (though I highly recommend you read the whole thing):

  • He has the Bengals going 2-4 in the division, winning at home against the Browns and Steelers.
  • Breech thinks the Bengals will start the season 3-1 with their first loss coming against Pittsburgh in Week 3.
  • The Bengals are 6-3 at the bye week in his predictions and he notes that this isn’t farfetched whatsoever. He’s right.
  • Cincinnati collapses a bit after the bye, but with the schedule they have in the second half of the year, that wouldn’t be shocking. They go 3-5 in their final eight games.

As I noted above, Bengals fans would be elated if the team went 9-8 this year. In a normal year, the 49ers wouldn’t be on the schedule and that’s one of the eight losses Breech is predicting. Remove that and it’d be a 9-7 campaign for Cincinnati.

This might seem too optimistic but a winning record isn’t out of the equation for the Bengals at all. Chad Ochocinco believes they’ll have more than eight wins and the notion that the Bengals could be competitive is starting to gain traction.

We’ll have to see how Breech does with his predictions when the season is all said and done but I have to say — I enjoyed this take very much.

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