5 Wins For the Cincinnati Bengals This Season? Unlikely
The Cincinnati Bengals come into the 2020 season with an over/under set right at five wins and between the drafting of Joe Burrow to be their franchise quarterback and a roster overhaul, there are reasons to be optimistic about their future. Five wins will be difficult to achieve for a handful of reasons, beginning with the AFC North division and the competition there, but the Bengals, maybe more than any team in the NFL, are going to be impacted by COVID-19.
It's unclear when head coach Zac Taylor will actually be able to work with Burrow in person. Meanwhile, Burrow is limited even with how he's able to work out and prepare. He may not throw a pass to a teammate until July. As talented as Burrow is, as prepared he appears to be for the NFL, that is a significant amount of adversity to overcome to then come out and win games in the NFL.
When Burrow transferred to LSU, he came into camp late and it had an impact on him his first year in Baton Rouge. He started rounding into form and looking pretty good by the end of the season, but he was nowhere near the level he showed this past year. While Burrow will have the playbook and meetings, in terms of practice reps and developing any kind of rhythm with his teammates, it may be a similar ordeal in his rookie year.
On top of this, the biggest question on the Bengals offense is the offensive line. Jonah Williams is set to take over left tackle after missing his rookie year to injury, but they have a major issue at right tackle in Bobby Hart and the interior isn't exactly a proven group.
The Bengals are returning with players like Joe Mixon, Tyler Boyd, plan to have A.J. Green back on offense, which will help their rookie quarterback immensely. Defensively, Carlos Dunlap and Geno Atkins welcome in D.J. Reader at the nose this year, which could give them an imposing front. The secondary should be pretty solid, but Germaine Pratt entering his second year is the only returning linebacker on the team.
Two of the teams in the AFC with the most continuity are in the Bengals division, which would seemingly withstand the loss of practice reps more than anyone else. The Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers aren't making any changes in terms of their offensive or defensive schemes and are largely running back the same rosters, save for a few changes. In the case of the Ravens, they might be even better while the Steelers get Ben Roethlisberger back from injury, which automatically makes them a dangerous team.
The Cleveland Browns have talent, but they have a first time head coach dealing with the same challenges as Taylor is with the Bengals. The Browns should be favored, but that could level the playing field slightly. After all, last year the Browns had no business losing to the Bengals in 2019 and found a way to be humiliated at the end of the season.
What could help the Bengals is if the NFL schedule starts, as reported, would be starting the year facing the NFC East, which features three teams with new head coaches. The Washington Redskins and New York Giants have some young and developing rosters with some major holes, while they face the same challenges in terms of practices the Bengals do. The Cowboys have a new head coach in Mike McCarthy, but they have a significant amount of talent returning.
As questionable as the roster is for the Redskins, particularly on offense, their defense presents a major problem for the Bengals. With Montez Sweat and Ryan Kerrigan already capable of putting pressure on the quarterback, they added Chase Young from Ohio State with the second overall pick of the draft. For a team with a rookie quarterback and questionable protection, that could be an ugly combination as Burrow drops back to pass with all three coming after him.
If the Bengals could grab a win against the Giants, Redskins or both, they could be off to a promising start to get to that five win mark. It might also enable them to catch up on practice reps, find some comfort in their schemes as they prepare to play the rest of the schedule
The way this season is setting up, which is still not entirely clear, both the Bengals and Burrow are going to be put into an incredibly difficult position, which isn't a commentary on the ability of either. Circumstances that are working against them may prevent them from looking as good as perhaps they are capable and are likely to be reflected in their win total. Five wins could happen, but it's going to be a huge challenge.
