Rob Gronkowski predicts worst possible outcome for Bengals in 2024

Cincinnati Bengals fans are going to absolutely hate Rob Gronkowski's prediction for the team in 2024. Despite all the hype around the Bengals heading into the season, the legendary tight end thinks that Cincinnati will miss the playoffs for a second straight season.

Gronk thinks the Bengals will miss the playoffs, again

Gronkowski thinks that Cincinnati will be in the mix, but he doesn't think they'll ultimately have enough to play beyond the regular season. He sees the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers as the two teams who will qualify postseason play from the AFC North. Last season, the Bengals were the only team in the divison who didn't make the playoffs, as the Ravens, Steelers and Browns all made it.

"I think they're going to miss the playoffs again," Gronk said. " ... The Cleveland Browns and the Cincinnati Bengals will be in the mix, they will be fighting, but they will not make it."

You can see Gronkowski's comments below, via an appearance on Up and Adams:

It's worth noting that Gronkowski made these comments after Week 1 when the Bengals looked like absolute garbage, so he could have been looking at their season through the lense of that single game.

The hope in Cincinnati is that the team is able to shake off that slow start against New England, bounce back and make it back to the playoffs after missing out last season. After all, they're just two years removed from making it to consecutive AFC Championship games.

One thing is for sure. The Bengals are going to have to play much better than they did in Week 1 if they hope to ultimately prove Gronkowski wrong and make the playoffs, because they certainly didn't play like a postseason football team against the Patriots. It was the first week of the season, so they'll get the benefit of the doubt, for now, but they'll have to bounce back quickly or a second straight season outside of the playoffs could become a real possibility.