Stop me if you've heard this before: Joe Burrow needs to stay healthy for the Cincinnati Bengals to be a legitimate contender. Yeah, of course, but Joe Flacco is regarded in some corners of the NFL discourse as the best backup quarterback money can buy.
Flacco balled out last year in relief of an injured Burrow. In the process, the offensive line jelled in a way it hadn't during Joe Shiesty's entire career.
So with all the upgrades the Bengals made on defense, provided Burrow enjoys what's expected to be his best blocking in the NFL to date, what's the argument that the Bengals won't make a legit push for the Lombardi Trophy?
A noble effort was made to forecast the most epic doomsday scenario possible for Burrow and the Cincinnati offense. Suffice it to say, it wouldn't have held up in court.
Bengals' so-called worst-case scenario on offense is easily surmountable
Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report outlined the best- and worst-case scenarios for every offensive unit in the league. In addition to saying the Bengals "did nothing" to address the o-line this offseason other than drafting Connor Lew and Brian Parker II, here's what else Knox penned:
"Cincinnati is expected to field the same starting five it had late in 2025, which should provide some much-needed offensive stability. If, however, the line regresses to where it was in 2024, when Burrow was sacked 48 times, the Bengals may have serious problems. The Bengals offense may have too much talent to be a truly below-average unit, but if Burrow can't stay upright and on the field, they probably can't be a playoff contender, either."
So first of all, spending two draft picks to bolster depth in the offensive trenches is far from "nothing." Secondly, Burrow dragged the most bum lines to the Super Bowl and the AFC Championship Game you've ever seen.
Oh, and when Burrow had his best individual season in 2024 to lead the NFL in passing yards and passing TDs, he did so with a poor defense and beyond-poor pass blocking:
most brutal stat you'll read today:
— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) July 1, 2025
Joe Burrow has been blitzed at the #1 LOWEST rate of any QB the last 4 years
--but--
he has been hit within 2.5 seconds of snap at the #1 HIGHEST rate 👀
Burrow has been hit within 2.5 seconds 25% MORE than the #2 most hit QB in the NFL 🤯 pic.twitter.com/QOCOmIvRgg
Is it even a remote possibility that the Bengals' offensive line plays that poorly in 2026, given how soundly the quintet of Orlando Brown Jr., Dylan Fairchild, Ted Karras, Dalton Risner, and Amarius Mims play together? Methinks there's no way.
Like yes, the depth at tackle is dubious, but remember that Burrow has dragged the likes of Jackson Carman, Isaiah Prince and Hakeem Adeniji deep into the playoffs. Mims and Brown are in a different galaxy as players than those three.
The interior o-line should be fine even if somebody gets banged up thanks to the rookies Lew and Parker joining the fold.
PS: Running back Chase Brown is entering a contract year and showed how complete he can be last season. Brown showed extraordinary resilience when the line was still coming together early last year. The Bengals were literally historically atrocious at run blocking through Week 3.
Chase Brown may have had the most impressive game with less than 2 yards per carry we've ever seen 😅
— The 33rd Team (@The33rdTeamFB) September 10, 2025
Per @NextGenStats, Brown had -43 rushing yards before contact, the lowest single-game mark in the NGS era — and finished the day with +43 yards on 21 attempts pic.twitter.com/Sxck8n8uhy
Chase Brown yards gained on 47 carries this season (from least to most):
— Ian Hartitz (@Ihartitz) September 22, 2025
-5, -3, -3, -2, -2, -2, -1, -1, -1, -1, 0, 0, 0, 0, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 4, 5, 5, 5, 5, 6, 6, 6, 6, 6, 8, 11
Brown rallied to run for over 1,000 yards on 4.4 yards per carry to go with 69 receptions for 437 yards and 11 total TDs.
Last season was the worst-case scenario. Lightning doesn't strike twice. And the vastly improved state of Cincinnati's defense will help Burrow and Co. avoid anything close to 2025's full-blown catastrophe.
Like I said, Bengals detractors are running out of ammunition fast to discount them as a live Super Bowl threat.
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