National Analysts Share Bold Prediction for 2025 Cincinnati Bengals

CINCINNATI — Will the Bengals miss the playoffs for a third-straight season?

Good Morning Football thinks that'll be the case. They released their AFC Playoff predictions for the 2025 season on Tuesday.

Jamie Erdahl, Manti Te'o, and Kyle Brandt were on the same page about four of the seven teams they think will make the postseason in the AFC: the Kansas City Chiefs, Buffalo Bills, Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers.

Each of the three had differing opinions on the likes of the Jaguars, Texans, Chargers, Broncos, and even New England Patriots making the postseason after the four teams listed above and in differing seeding positions.

Erdahl picked the Bills to be the number one seed in the playoffs, with the Ravens, Jaguars, and Broncos taking seeds two through four, rounding out the division winners. Erdahl went on to declare that the Patriots would claim the number five seed, with the Steelers getting the sixth seed, and the Chiefs claiming the seventh and final spot.

Te'o, like Erdahl, Picked the Bills, Ravens, and Broncos to take three of the top four seeds in the same order, with the Texans winning the AFC South instead of the Jaguars for the number three spot. Te'o instead opted to pick the Chiefs to win the number five playoff seed, with the Chargers and Steelers rounding out the positioning at the sixth and seventh spots.

Brandt finished off the predictions by picking the Chiefs to claim the coveted number one seed once more, with the Ravens, Bills, and Texans rounding out the rest of the division winners. Brandt then picked the Chargers, Steelers, and Patriots for seeds five through seven.

Joe Burrow, Zac Taylor — Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow and coach Zac Taylor walk off the field following a loss to the Washington Commanders on Sept. 23, 2024. | Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Reaction

There are many questionable things about these predictions to say the least, but let's start with the blatant disrespect that is on full display to Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals.

The Bengals defense was undoubtedly atrocious last season, but Cincinnati was still just one win away from punching their ticket to the playoffs last season, and looked every part like a team that nobody wanted to face in the postseason due to how explosive the offense was.

The bottom line is that even with the defense's struggles, the Bengals slow start at the beginning of the season last year is what sealed their fate, with narrow losses to the Patriots, Chiefs, and Commanders through the first three weeks of 2024.

This has made the emphasis of starting fast clear to Zac Taylor, Burrow, and the rest of the team, as evidenced by the starters on both sides of the ball playing for an extended period of time during the preseason.

Not only that, but the Bengals have made additions on the defensive side of the ball. They made Al Golden their new defensive coordinator, who will be attempting to bring out the potential of young talent in not only the secondary, but also in the defensive line room.

So expect the defense to make some slight improvements compared to last season. Meanwhile, an offense led by Burrow, Ja'Marr Chase, and Tee Higgins will pick up right where it left off by ranking near the top of the league.

What About the Rest?

There are many questions that the Bengals need to answer which could be weighing heavily on the analytical minds of the national media. If that is the case for the Bengals, then it should also apply to the Steelers and Patriots.

Both Pittsburgh and New England have daunting questions of their own, with the Steelers the question is whether or not 41-year-old quarterback Aaron Rodgers can return to a level of sustainable play while remaining healthy. That hasn't happened since 2022. Will DK Metcalf be capable of being a lone go to weapon in the Steelers offense after having the likes of Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Tyler Lockett around him to sway double teams away? Is an old, but experienced Steelers secondary going to be a strength of the team? Will Jalen Ramsey is entering his age 31 season and Darius Slay (34) be able to compete with the likes of Ja'Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, Zay Flowers, and even Jerry Jeudy within the AFC North?

There are far more questions that surround the Steelers than there are for the Bengals.

The Patriots join the Steelers with plenty of question marks. Will the offensive line improve from their abysmal play last year. Is Drake Maye ready to take a step forward? Is Stefon Diggs still a true No. 1 threat?

To see both of these teams listed above the Bengals is surprising. Cincinnati should be better than the Steelers and Patriots this year.

Obviously anything can happen in the NFL, but I firmly expect this Bengals team to be well within the playoff race and claim a spot in the postseason.

Check out the predictions from Good Morning Football below:

Our AFC playoff predictions📈 pic.twitter.com/b1xfWcK9ed
— Good Morning Football (@gmfb) September 2, 2025

For more on the Bengals, subscribe to our YouTube Channel and be sure to check us out on your favorite audio platforms, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Amazon.