Bengals Projected to Miss Playoffs, Post Multiple Losing Streaks During 2026 Season

Sports Illustrated's Connor Orr has not been high on the Bengals this offseason and that continued recently. He predicted all 276 NFL regular-season games for the upcoming season and has the Bengals on the outside of the playoffs with a 9-8 record.

It included multiple three-plus game losing streaks, including a 1-4 start to the season and a 1-3 finish down the stretch.

Low Projection

Dec 28, 2024; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow (9) celebrates following the overtime win against the Denver Broncos at Paycor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

The Bengals are a tough team to project this offseason.

"The start of the 2026 season will be a bit of a disastrous one for the Bengals," Orr wrote. "After a season-opening win over the Buccaneers, I have the team hitting a panic-inducing skid with losses to the Texans, Steelers, Jaguars and Dolphins. Miami, as we said in the Patriots’ section, could be that strange temperature-spike game that totally gasses the Bengals at the end of a long stretch in which the team will have its work cut out for it.

"It’s fair to assume that in Cincinnati’s first five games, at least three could have the Bengals as listed underdogs or close to it. Of course, true to Joe Burrow form, a mid-to-late-season uptick will have us believing, though it’s ultimately not quite enough for the team to recover as it falls victim to a deep tiebreaker."

Orr expanded more on this Bengals thoughts.

Adding a veteran piece to the linebacker room could have him reassessing this projection.

"I excluded the Bengals because I felt like this team doesn’t have enough of an attacking defense or the trappings of a truly effective running game," Orr said about why they can't win the Super Bowl this season. "Bengals fans will fairly argue that Cincinnati was a top-five team in rushing success rate last season with a very multiple run scheme that was building successful, punishing runs with little more than five-man blocking schemes against the likes of Micah Parsons. I think Amarius Mims could finish this season as one of the best right tackles in the NFL.

"So, while I may have been a little unfair and am underrating the fact that this group has been together—and incredibly multiple—while overrating new additions I wish they made that the team did not, the defense still needs to rapidly grow from bottom feeder to sure-tackling, top-15 mainstay to be taken seriously. In that way, maybe my 9–8 prediction is a hedge that the defense will make a Dexter Lawrence II–sized leap, though one that won’t be quite enough. Maybe a Bobby Wagner signing could change my mind."

It would be stunning if Cincinnati stayed relatively healthy (Joe Burrow included) and missed the playoffs against this schedule, with this much talent.

Anyway you slice it, Cincinnati has one of the three easiest schedules in the NFL, and ESPN's FPI has it as the easiest schedule among all 32 teams. Add in the continuity on the offensive line (which protected Burrow at a top-10 level in the final six weeks of the season), and you get a roster primed to not just win double-digit games, but compete for the No. 1 seed.

Oddsmakers clearly view this team much differently. By consensus betting odds, Cincinnati has the eighth-best chance to post the NFL's best record.

Check out the full projection here.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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