Bengals Deemed One of Top Franchise Candidates to Win First Super Bowl Across 2026 Season

The Bengals have a real chance to make it happen this coming February.

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow (9) walks off the field after being sacked by Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald (99) in the fourth quarter during Super Bowl 56, Sunday, Feb. 13, 2022, at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif. The Cincinnati Bengals lost, 23-20. | Kareem Elgazzar/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Bengals have never come out on top of an NFL season and Joe Burrow is trying to change that this fall. NFL.com's Eric Edholm recently ranked the 12 teams in the NFL without a Super Bowl title, from least to most likely to lift the Lombardi Trophy this coming February.

Cincinnati's played in three Super Bowls during its history, losing twice to the 49ers in the 1980s and another loss to the Rams this decade.

A Chance At History

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow (9) and Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) hug at midfield after the fourth quarter of the NFL Week 2 game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Cincinnati Bengals at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City on Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024. The Chiefs took a 26-25 win with a go-ahead field goal as time expired. | Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Edholm ranked the Bengals as the fourth-most likely franchise to break the drought, behind Buffalo, Detroit, and Houston.

"The Bengals can compete for a title with Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase, and Tee Higgins operating at peak performance, just as they were in the 2021 and '22 seasons," Edholm wrote. "The problem? They are seldom all healthy at the same time. Chase has only missed seven games in five years, but Higgins has missed 16 games over that same span, and Burrow has been out with injury for significant chunks of two of the past three seasons. Since losing in Super Bowl LVI and reaching the AFC Championship Game in the following season, the Bengals are a combined 24-27. Head coach Zac Taylor has held onto his job, and The Big Three will get another crack at it, but the Bengals are on borrowed time a bit.

"The other big roadblock to success has been on defense. The Bengals have withered away on that side of the ball over the past four years, going from quite competent to pretty putrid last season. They’ll need to make a healthy jump in production on defense to regain contender status, but there are some pieces to work with on that side of the ball."

Cincinnati has put arguably the most talented roster of the decade around Burrow this offseason. Now it's all about that pesky health trend staying as positive as possible over 20-plus weeks of action.

Good rosters with the best quarterbacks in the sport make up the Super Bowl participants more often than not, and Cincinnati will fit that bill if things go smoothly on the medical front from September to February.

Check out the full ranking from Edholm here.

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