Bengals 2021 Season Preview
Looking for 2021 Cincinnati Bengals Predictions? The Bengals had a relatively successful season a year ago. They might have only won four games but they acclimated top pick Joe Burrow to the NFL. Now they have a chance to build on that.
There is still a lot of work to do in terms of upgrading the roster and playing the difficult AFC North makes progress tough to measure sometimes. The trajectory looks good though.
Even with another game on the schedule this season, it is going to be tough to match last season’s win total.
NFL Bengals Predictions & Handicapping Insight
2021/22 NFL Team Predictions – Cincinnati Bengals
- Bengals 2021 Win Total NFL Odds: 6.5 (Over +100/Under -120)
- Cincinnati Bengals AFC North Odds: +2500
- Cincinnati Bengals AFC Championship Odds: +6000
- Cincinnati Bengals 2022 Super Bowl Odds: +15000
They might pick off one you are not expecting though.
Key Additions:
- OT Riley Rieff
- DE Trey Hendrickson
- DT Larry Ogunjobi
Burrow got hurt last year as a rookie. The Bengals need to keep him upright to compete and Rieff should be able to help with that.
Hendrickson busted out last season with 13.5 sacks. The question is how repeatable is that performance. The Bengals were last in the NFL in sacks last season and knew they needed to invest in the pass rush.
Ogunjobi only had 2.5 sacks for the Browns last season. That was down some from the last couple of years but getting an inside rush and better defense against the run was a priority.
Key Losses:
- WR AJ Green
- RB Gio Bernard
- DT Geno Atkins
All three losses harken back to when the team was much more competitive. Green has just broken down way too much love the last few seasons and had been passed by younger receivers.
Bernard never became as productive as I wanted but he was a very useful player. They have to find someone to catch all those balls out of the backfield.
Atkins only played 8 games last season and is on the wrong side of 30. He was one of the best in franchise history but his time was up.
2021 Cincinnati Bengals Predictions: Offseason Analysis
Any success the Bengals have this season is going to hinge upon one thing – Joe Burrow being healthy.
That said I am not seeing the offense as being of the caliber that they can just beat teams in shootouts. Burrow does have the ability to be precise and march them down the field to keep them competitive.
Given the state of the team, I don’t love their drafting of Chase. Not that he doesn’t deserve to be the first WR at the board but recent history has shown that you don’t need to go high to find quality receivers and he is not a physical freak for the position. Even if he proves to be elite that does not elevate the team that much in the short/medium term. Especially if you think Burrow is the type to make players better.
Defense is where this team really needs to be improved. They have invested in the defensive line which is a start. I would have gone defense with the pick they used on Chase. You have to find guys that are special and take a swing so that your defense can dictate a little bit.
Vonn Bell and Jessie Bates III are a very productive safety tandem but not ones that you have to gameplan against. They get a chance to make tackles because the defense is on the field a lot.
Cincinnati is probably improved from last season and they have let go of some guys from the last time the team was decent. Just don’t expect too much in the way of real improvement.
2021 Cincinnati Bengals Win Total Prediction:
This is one of the more shocking totals on the board.
If I were making the lines I would have the Bengals favored only once right now, on September 30th, when they host Jacksonville on a Thursday night. Beyond that, there are no gimmes.
The AFC North seems bound to have a couple of playoff teams and I am not sure they can take a game from the likes of Cleveland, Baltimore ad Pittsburgh. They only got one a year ago, against the Steelers. Though they did play Cleveland close twice. Baltimore beat them by a combined score of 65-6.
All of their games against teams in their tier, Detroit, the Jets, and Denver are on the road. They won just once on the road last season so how much more success can you expect.
I only like them to win one game before their bye week on November 14. That might give them a chance at a reset but they would have to win more than half of their games down the stretch to get the over.
Even with five of eight at home to close the season I am not looking for a lot of winning. Head coach Zac Taylor is going to be on the hot seat all season. Whether that is fair or not.
CappersPicks.com has NFL Futures Odds up on a ton of 2021 Super Bowl futures, and you will also find DAILY NFL Football lines up as well.
Register here for a FREE NFL Betting Account Now for Daily Free Picks & More Special Offers!