Super Bowl or bust for a team that's missed the playoffs three years in a row seems extreme, but their offseason acquisitions surely make it an argument.
As the NFL gears up for the 2026 season, the Cincinnati Bengals are becoming a hot topic around the league. After acquiring several pivotal defensive pieces to turn that side of the ball around, 2024 NFL Passing Yards Leader Joe Burrow is ready to lead his offense, which is returning all 11 starters, back to Super Bowl contention.
The two biggest concerns for this team for all of the last three years, in which they have missed the playoffs, are the defense and Burrow’s health. General manager Duke Tobin and defensive coordinator Al Golden have worked together this offseason to establish a real identity moving forward. This will be led by Super Bowl champions Boye Mafe and Bryan Cook, and driven further by Jonathan Allen and Dexter Lawrence. The young players are expected to follow suit and help the team go from the worst defense in the league to a more than serviceable one.
Cincinnati Bengals defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence | © Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn ImagesBurrow’s health, on the other hand, will always be a question mark. When he plays a full season, fans have seen that he can quickly insert his name into the MVP conversation. He may have the best options in the league in Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, and Chase Brown, so if he is on the field, there is no reason this unit cannot be the best in football in 2026.
With that being said, analysts have taken notice and are blowing way past just making the playoffs. The “Get Up” crew on ESPN discussed whether or not this year is Super Bowl or bust for the Bengals.
“This is going to be the trendy pick for a lot of people [to make the] Super Bowl out of the AFC,” said co-host Peter Schrager. All the turnover within the division … the Bengals seem to be the stable situation, and [with] Burrow being on site there at mini camp, there's a lot of reason to be optimistic about the Bengals."
Obviously, many people are high on the Bengals because of the seemingly easy path to the playoffs. All three other head coaches in the AFC North were fired after last season, and Cincinnati has the third-easiest strength of schedule in the NFL. But when talking about making the Super Bowl, people may be jumping the gun, at least just a little bit.
It’s important to remember that several other AFC teams are only getting better after making playoff runs last season. Specifically, the Denver Broncos, New England Patriots, and Jacksonville Jaguars are all thriving with their young quarterbacks and getting better every year. The MVP quarterback-led teams, the Kansas City Chiefs, Buffalo Bills, and Baltimore Ravens, will all be in the mix as well. Then there will be other teams who find their way into the playoffs, all ready to put up a fight, so regardless of everything that has happened, this season will not be a breeze for anyone.
