Cincinnati Bengals: 5 bold predictions for the 2021 season

With new faces like Trey Hendrickson, Riley Reiff, Ja’Marr Chase, and more on the Cincinnati Bengals‘ roster, there are a lot of question marks surrounding the upcoming season. Will the Bengals live up to the hype that this offseason has produced? Has the front office built the right roster around Joe Burrow?

In the following slides, I’ll make a few bold predictions for how the upcoming season is going to unfold.

Bold predictions for Cincinnati Bengals 2021 season

Ja’Marr Chase, Tyler Boyd, and Tee Higgins each go for over 1,000+ yards

In the 2021 NFL Draft, the Bengals selected LSU wide receiver, Ja’Marr Chase, with the fifth overall pick. This pick not only reunited Joe Burrow with his top receiver from college, but it also gave the Bengals one of the best wide receiver trios in the NFL, as Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd were already one of the more solid duos in the league.

With the addition of Chase, this dangerous slew of weapons goes from a strength to one of the most lethal wide receiver groups in the league.

Over the years, there have only been five trios of wide receivers to all reach 1,000+ yards in NFL history. While it sounds like a tall task, I would bet on Chase, Higgins, and Boyd joining this elite group.

Before Burrow went down with an injury halfway through his rookie year, his two top receivers — Higgins and Boyd — were both on pace to reach 1,000+ yards. Given that Burrow and Higgins are both poised to improve in their second seasons, Boyd has already proven himself capable of reaching the milestone and Chase will potentially be the best receiver on the team from day one, it’s not as crazy as it might sound.

The Bengals’ new offense is one that has the potential to strike fear into the hearts of opposing defenses. On any given Sunday, defenses will have to pick their poison.

Between the elite group of receivers and a very solid running back in Joe Mixon, there are not many units in the entire league that can defend against all of Burrow’s weapons. Add onto all of this that there will be an extra game of football this year and it’s easy to bet on the Bengals’ top three wide receivers all hitting 1,000+ yards in 2021.

Bold predictions for Cincinnati Bengals 2021 season

New additions on the offensive line lead to a major improvement

Since the departure of veterans Andrew Whitworth and Kevin Zeitler after the 2016 season, the offensive line has been the Bengals’ biggest problem. Over the past five years, it has seemed like the Bengals either didn’t know how to fix the line or didn’t care to try in the first place. However, this may be the season they finally get things right.

The first major improvement the Bengals made along the offensive line was in replacing the much-maligned offensive line coach Jim Turner with the well-respected Frank Pollack. While this isn’t Pollack’s first rodeo in Cincinnati, this time he will not only be coaching the offensive line, but he has the task of being the run-game coordinator.

Bengals’ running back Joe Mixon voiced his pleasure with this move when it was announced in January.

In addition to Pollack’s return, the Bengals brought in some new players to help along the offensive line as well. Veteran tackle Riley Reiff was one of the Bengals’ biggest moves of free agency and is likely to form one of the better tandems of tackles in the league alongside Jonah Williams.

According to PFF, Reiff only allowed one sack in his 1,003 snaps played in 2021, earning him an overall grade of 71.4. With Williams at left tackle and Reiff at right tackle, Joe Burrow has to feel good about his protection along the edge.

The bigger question mark is on the interior of the offensive line.

In the second round of the draft, the Bengals selected Jackson Carman, a versatile prospect from Clemson who could play tackle if needed but will likely start at the right guard position from day one. While many criticized this pick as being a reach, Carman is an immensely talented young player who could very well surprise everyone and be a force early in his career.

At left guard, veteran Quinton Spain was brought back for another year to compete with Xavier Su’a-Filo and more for the starting job. While this is probably the weakest spot on the line, the competition will help put the best player on the field, and neither Spain nor Su’a-Filo would be a liability if given the job.

Trey Hopkins is the man for the job at center, but until he is back from injury, Billy Price is a candidate to have a breakout. Price was originally drafted when Pollack was first on staff, and the offensive line guru may be able to crack the code and get the former first-round pick playing the way he was expected to when drafted.

Overall, the offensive line looks better today than it has since 2016. Many are still understandably skeptical, but don’t assume Burrow is going to be running for his life again this year.

Bold predictions for Cincinnati Bengals 2021 season

Bengals sweep the Steelers for the first time since 2009

Everybody knows that the Bengals hate the Steelers.

Unfortunately, everyone who knows this fact also knows the for the majority of the rivalry, the Steelers have essentially dominated the Bengals. With an overall lead of 67-36, the Bengals rivalry with the Steelers has been largely one-sided for the most part. However, after the Bengals embarrassed the Steelers on primetime television in their most recent matchup, the tide could be turning.

After losing to the Bengals and their third-string quarterback in 2020, the Steelers fell apart. This ultimately ended in their humiliating playoff defeat at the hands of the Cleveland Browns. Since the Steelers’ devastating end to their 2020 season, things have only gone downhill.

In the 2021 offseason, the Steelers lost multiple big-time contributors. Among these losses were crucial players like Alejandro Villanueva, Bud Dupree, James Conner, Steven Nelson, Mike Hilton, and more. Perhaps most notable of all was Hilton, who left one side of the rivalry to join the Bengals.

These losses combined with a Ben Roethlisberger who is getting worse every time he hits a football field are a sign that the Steelers are trending down and that the ship is sinking fast.

On the other hand, the Bengals have only gotten better. Their franchise quarterback Joe Burrow is expected to reach new heights in 2021 and new faces all over the roster show that the Bengals are on the upswing.

Given how the Bengals publicly embarrassed the Steelers last time the two played, they have all the momentum for the first time in years. While they have not swept the Steelers since 2009, that may very well change in 2021.

Bold predictions for Cincinnati Bengals 2021 season

Joe Burrow wins Comeback Player of the Year

The biggest storyline going into the 2021 season is franchise quarterback Joe Burrow’s comeback after ending his rookie season short due to an injury he suffered in Week 11 against Washington.

Burrow’s progress is looking promising and it is expected that he will be able to return for Week 1 against the Minnesota Vikings. With a fully loaded team of weapons around him, he should be a top candidate for the NFL’s Comeback Player of the Year award.

Before his season was cut short, Burrow was having a great rookie year. With 2,688 yards and 13 touchdowns in only 10 games, the first overall pick of the 2020 draft was having one of the best rookie seasons by a quarterback in recent memory. After a year of improvement from Tee Higgins and the addition of Ja’Marr Chase, Burrow has all the tools to build upon his rookie season and catapult himself into superstar status in 2021.

As it stands, Burrow is tied with Saquon Barkley and Christian McCaffrey with the second-highest odds of winning the award at +600, second only to Dak Prescott at +175. The award has been given to a quarterback in 13 of the last 19 seasons, so it would be a good bet to put your money on either Burrow or Prescott.

Both Burrow and Prescott are extremely talented quarterbacks with two of the best wide receiver trios in the league. If anyone is poised to have a huge year in 2021, it’s these two. Both players are sure to have huge seasons, so the award may come down to who can take their team to the promised land: the playoffs.

Bold predictions for Cincinnati Bengals 2021 season

Bengals make the playoffs as a wildcard team

This is the most important prediction of all.

The receivers can put up big stats, Burrow can win awards, but it will all be for naught if the Bengals do not reach the postseason. While not many are currently predicting that the Bengals will make it into one of the AFC’s seven playoff spots in 2021, I am ready to bet on it.

The Bengals are a much better team today than they were a year ago. Now boasting an elite trio of wide receivers, a revamped offensive line, and new players all over the defense, the Bengals have all the tools needed to compete with any team on any given Sunday.

There are three major keys to the Bengals’ season that will determine if they can make it to the postseason: the development of Burrow, the play of the offensive line, and the coaching of Zac Taylor and his staff. If these three things can all come together and be strengths for the Bengals in 2021, there is no reason they can’t sneak into the playoffs as a sixth or seventh seed.

Predicting the Bengals to win the division over the Browns and Ravens is a little too rich for my taste, but I have absolutely no reservations in predicting that they will sneak in as a wildcard team. Burrow has proven not to bet against him, I would be unwise to do so.

Expect the Bengals to punch a ticket to the playoffs in 2021, although I don’t know that they’ll be able to get over the first-round hump just yet.

These predictions might seem bold but the Cincinnati Bengals are trending upward.