The margins in the NFL really are slim. Look no further than last season , when the Cincinnati Bengals, despite finishing with a 6 and 11 record, could have easily flipped no fewer then five of those games.
Does anyone remember when Joe Flacco had to start on mere days notice at Lambeau Field against the Packers? Only to pull the Bengals within 24-18 in the fourth quarter and watch Green Bay quarterback Jordan Love hit Matthew Golden for a 31-yard gain on 3rd-and-long to spur on the Pack's field goal drive that made it a two-possession game?
That's the mere tip of the iceberg. An injured Flacco came within six points of knocking off the eventual AFC champion Patriots in his last start. Flacco led the offense to 38 points and 42 points against the Bears and Jets respectively, and somehow lost both those contests.
And Week 18's 20-18 loss to the Browns at home, well, the towel had more or less been tossed in by that point.
No need to belabor this extended point. It's more to underscore how foolish anyone is to suggest that the Bengals won't win at least double digit games this year. At least one set of fresher NFL power rankings gives Cincinnati's new look roster some props.
Bengals check in at 7th in Jason La Canfora's pre-training camp NFL power rankings
All them haters at DraftKings Sportsbook, and presumably other such oddsmakers, have the Bengals as a relative 20-to-1 long shot to win the Super bowl. That's tied for the 13th most favorable odds in the NFL.
As a long time admirer of veteran NFL insider Jason La Canfora —yes, he is FanSided's own now— it tickles me that, as a Baltimore native, he refuses to disregard the reality Ravens fans don't want to face. That the Bengals are the true favorites in the AFC North.
La Canfora rated the Bengals seventh in his newest NFL power rankings. This is more in line with what national media should be saying about Cincinnati. This is more reflective of how indeed impactful Dexter Lawrence's arrival will be for this defense. And it is commensurate with the respect that Joe Burrow deserves.
There's nothing in the article about the Bengals per se, but La Canfora has gassed them up all offseason. An anonymous GM said the following to La Canfora in one of his pieces from May, titled, "Why rival NFL execs are all-in on Joe Burrow and the Bengals."
"The last time they had a defense, he almost went to the Super Bowl...and the year before, they probably should have won the Super Bowl. There’s no reason for [Burrow] not to have a huge year.”
Someone please explain to me how DraftKings has the Ravens' Super Bowl odds as half (10-to-1) of the Bengals, and why Baltimore is a sub-even-money favorite (-115) to win the AFC North?
Not to suggest La Canfora is a Ravens fan, but he is from the area. He could score points with the locals by ranking the team higher. Instead, he has Baltimore at No. 9, behind the Bengals and the eighth-ranked Los Angeles Chargers.
As in their own heads as Ravens fans already are this offseason, this reality check is sure to send them into a deeper tailspin.
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