The Cincinnati Bengals went against every bad pricniple they've stood for in their history this offseason, and goodness forbid Joe Burrow for being fired up about it.
Yes, Burrow said this is the most talented roster he's ever had in Cincinnati. Yes, the team still needs to go execute on the field. Yes, despite awful defense and pass blocking for much of his tenure, and during the team's thee-year playoff drought, Joe Shiesty is 11-6 in his last 17 starts.
Provided he stays healthy, and most of the other key Bengals do, this should be a juggernaut team contending for the No. 1 seed. If only the national media could see the light!
Michael Wilbon & NFL dot com predict Bengals to be a mere Wild Card team
Big ups to ESPN's Michael Wilbon, whose PTI show has run for a very long time and is better than a lot of slop that's on the air these days. However, in this case, he has fallen prey to the Bengals Derangement Syndrome that plagues most NFL casuals outside of Who Dey Nation.
Wilbon tried to argue for a myriad of teams who are better than the Bengals on paper, and was grasping at straws to compare Dan Marino's situation to Burrow's. He even invoked Ken Anderson and Boomer Esiason as past Cincinnati QBs who only got to the Super Bowl once to discredit Burrow's recent remarks:
"I don’t know that I’m listening to Joe Burrow proclaim how great they are as, Oh, I’m going to put them above Buffalo? In the AFC? No. Am I going to put them above Baltimore in their own division? No. Above New England? No. I don’t know that I’m going to have them above the Chargers. So there’s a long way to go and this proclamation sounds nice…You know who he reminds me of? Dan Marino."
"I don't make much of it. ... There's no, sort of, history of the Bengals being so loaded that we're gonna make them prohibited favorites even in their own division. Don't see it."@RealMikeWilbon reacts to Joe Burrow's comments that the Bengals will win the Super Bowl ✍️ pic.twitter.com/cexAGMic3l
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) May 21, 2026
As if Burrow isn't easily better than Anderson or Esiason were. As if comparing Marino's era or his ability to read coverages is anywhere close to what Burrow is handling these days.
The laziness of modern sports analysis on the television truly fascinates me. Does anyone actually watch these shows? I got burned out way back in Skip Bayless' heyday. Ignoramus clips like these are all I can stomach, and if it weren't my job, I'd pay such things no mind.
You know what's nice about the written word? You can actually, you know, take a beat, gather your thoughts, and try to form some sort of informed opinion on something, as opposed to going half-cock and under-prepared onto a TV set to spew nonsense. It's more blowhard/performance art than any sort of nuanced discourse.
As for Wilbon's take on the other teams: Do we really think the Bills are gonna be anything? What were their big moves this offseason? Overpaying in a trade for notorious Effort Police Felon DJ Moore? Picking up Bradley Chubb? Come on. They're no better than last year. They'll go only as far as Josh Allen and his dubious ability to eliminate untimely turnovers can carry them.
Oh, and the Patriots? They had one of the cakewalk-ier schedules in NFL history last year. And their head coach is dealing with a personal scandal. Sounds promising, though! Crown 'em!
The Ravens and Bengals will indeed compete for the AFC North title. How do you not give the edge to Cincinnati? Better offensive weapons. Superior offensive line. A better all-around secondary. A comparable defensive line.
Lastly, the Chargers. Because Justin Herbert has accomplished so much in big spots throughout his career. He has a 64.7 passer rating in the playoffs and is 0-3. His offensive tackles are both coming off massive injuries. They lost their defensive mastermind Jesse Minter to Baltimore. Get real, Wilbon.
Don't think that'll stop NFL.com's Ali Bhanpuri and Tom Blair (whoever they are) from slighting the Bengals, too! They were ready to cap 'em at eight wins for, uh, reasons? Ali has the Bengals seeded fifth; Tom has them sixth.
"It wouldn't be unreasonable to cap them at around eight wins again, knowing that the additions of Dexter Lawrence, Boye Mafe, Jonathan Allen and rookie Cashius Howell to the defensive front aren't all guaranteed to hit. But, man, Burrow is turning 30 this December, and the last time he was in the playoffs, he was 26. Let's get him into the postseason via a couple of mildly surprising victories, including over the Jags in Week 4 and against the Ravens on New Year's Eve."
Do we even need to dignify that blurb with a response? The Jaguars lost superstar linebacker Devin Lloyd in free agency. Had what many regarded as the worst draft this year. Lost their RB1 in Travis Etienne Jr.
The Bengals beat Jacksonville in Week 2 last season with Jake Browning finishing out the game once Burrow got hurt (again). Is it really surprising if they win again? No! Tom thinks the Jags will be the AFC's No. 1 seed. I mean, good luck on that projection, dawg.
How is winning against the Ravens on New Year's Eve surprising? This is the first time Cincinnati hosts Baltimore in prime time in the last half-decade. That alone should be a decisive factor.
Better be careful not to back up my argument too much here. That wouldn't be fair to the national pundits who routinely expose themselves.
Whatever. Let's not get too worked up here in late May. It'll be settled on the field before we know it.
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