The 2023 season was a major disappointment in a number of ways for the Cincinnati Bengals. Joe Burrow’s health was a big factor in the team taking a step back from the success of previous seasons. Now, after a 9-8 season and a last-place finish in the AFC North, the Bengals look for a bounce-back year and a return to the form that saw them make a Super Bowl just a few short years ago.
With a healthy Burrow back at the helm for Cincinnati, just how far can the 2024 team go? One media outlet believes the Bengals will be the top team in the AFC in 2024. According to the playoff predictor at Pro Football Network, the Cincinnati Bengals are going to finish 2024 as the top seed in the playoffs.
PFN used their playoff predictor to simulate the entire 2024 season for every team in the league. What it came out with was the Bengals overthrowing the Kansas City Chiefs as the cream-of-the-crop in the AFC. It's not hard to imagine – if Joe Burrow can stay healthy for the entire season -- but it’s not going to be easy for the Bengals.
While they still have one of the best wide receivers in the league with Ja’Marr Chase, the offense took a potential major blow in the offseason. Receiver Tyler Boyd left in free agency to join the Tennessee Titans, and the Bengals traded long-time running back Joe Mixon to the Houston Texans. If that wasn’t enough, the team also lost offensive coordinator Brian Callahan in the offseason, who took the head coaching job with the Titans.
There are a lot of really good teams in the AFC and it’s going to be a battle no matter how things shake out. But Burrow has proven that, when healthy, he has what it takes to lead a team to a championship. Whether or not he can do so this year remains to be seen.