The Cincinnati Bengals boast a lot of star power and potential, but missing out on the playoffs the last two seasons and dubious handling of player contracts have contributed to a, shall we say, lack of reverence from the national media.
And I get it. I really do. But I've gone against the grain before to hype up my team and couldn't have been more bang-on correct about the ensuing results. As long as Joe Burrow is under center and Ja'Marr Chase is healthy, I'll never stop believing the Bengals have a chance to win the Super Bowl every single season.
That admittedly slightly homerist mindset isn't shared by certain prominent media pundits. We have a healthy helping of Cincinnati doubters out there, though perhaps none as visible/platformed as the renowned Good Morning Football panel.
'Good Morning Football' snubs Bengals from AFC playoffs (again)
GMFB's core trio experienced a shakeup from last year, as former NFL linebacker Manti Te'o replaced Peter Schrager alongside Jamie Erdahl and my mutual X/Twitter following pal Kyle Brandt.
Prior to the 2024 campaign, Schrager, Erdahl and Brandt all predicted the Bengals would miss the playoffs. I found it offensive, despite the AFC being so stacked. Joe Brrr proceeded to have an MVP-caliber season, yet the GMFB experts were proven right as Cincinnati had to rally just to finish 9-8, one game out from the tournament.
Going to the well twice usually isn't quite as nice. Alas, Te'o has doubled down along with Brandt and Erdahl again this season in predicting that the playoffs will come and go without Burrow and Co.
Our AFC playoff predictions📈 pic.twitter.com/b1xfWcK9ed
— Good Morning Football (@gmfb) September 2, 2025
Cincinnati has had a proactive offseason, aside from the inaction on Trey Hendrickson's contract situation.
The offensive line should be upgraded with the acquisitions of rookie Dylan Fairchild and veteran guard Dalton Risner. New defensive coordinator Al Golden has a fresh scheme and a revamped linebacker corps to work with. Logan Wilson is the leader of that group, and was injured for the Bengals' five-game winning streak to close last season.
By all accounts, things are looking up. Burrow has finally had a healthy training camp, too, banking ample reps with Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. Their chemistry should be better than ever. The starters played more in the preseason thanks to Burrow's health, which will ideally help alleviate their ongoing early-season curse.
None of that seems to matter to the fine folks at GMFB. I just can't picture a reality in which Burrow doesn't make the playoffs three years running. If that comes to pass, Cincinnati should strongly consider a coaching change. Not that Zac Taylor would likely be all to blame, but the buck stops with him at the end of the day.
Anyone would love the opportunity to coach Joe Burrow and this Bengals offense. All that's needed for a postseason return is a middling/not-bad defense and a pedestrian effort from the o-line. It'd be a slam-dunk, double-digit wins 2025 season.
For the biggest NFL-sponsored show to come out so strong against the Bengals should only add fuel to the fire for this team to prove them and the other skeptics wrong. Not that you want to dwell on outside noise, but in this day and age, it's unavoidable.
Burrow has said that Cincinnati's Super Bowl window is his entire career. The Bengals have squandered two seasons of playoff-free football since that statement — and put Burrow in enough harm's way to suffer a career-threatening injury to his throwing wrist.
Whereas GMFB believes yet another year will be wasted, I'm as certain as I can be that 2025 is when the Bengals finally put it all together. We'll see who's right come January and February.