ESPN Predicts Cincinnati Bengals to Make AFC Championship

2026 may be the year to return to postseason and Super Bowl contention for the Cincinnati Bengals. General manager Duke Tobin has completely revamped the defensive unit that was statistically one of the worst in football last season. He did so with the additions of Super Bowl champions Boye Mafe and Bryan Cook, along with Pro Bowl veterans Jonathan Allen and Dexter Lawrence. 

Although they have missed the postseason for three consecutive seasons, there are several believers in the team that was able to make back-to-back AFC Championship appearances. So much so that despite the lack of recent success, members of the media have Cincinnati not only ending their playoff drought, but winning multiple postseason games in the process. 

ESPN’s Dan Graziano is just one name on this list, and he thinks it’s not an overreaction to say the Bengals will be competing in the AFC Championship game this season. 

“Only four of their games are against teams that had winning records last season -- the Texans, the Jaguars and two against the Steelers. The defense should be better, given all of the moves the Bengals have made there, and each of the other three teams in their division is in a transition phase with a new head coach,” said Graziano. “There is a major opportunity here for the Bengals, as they've fielded a championship-caliber offense every year Burrow has stayed healthy. They just need the other side of the ball to start chipping in again.”

At this point, anyone who follows the Bengals should know the circumstances by now. The lack of postseason appearances, the extremely poor defense, and the below-average offensive line are all things that have swirled around the franchise for years, and it’s time to put all of that in the past. With the third-easiest schedule in the NFL this season, the Bengals control their own destiny to make it back to the postseason and show whether these analysts know what they are talking about or not. 

The x-factor for this Cincinnati team is undoubtedly the health of superstar quarterback Joe Burrow. The 2024 NFL Passing Yards Leader has shown he can deliver MVP-caliber performances when he has a fully healthy season; the problem is, in the last three seasons, he has missed a combined 17 games, equivalent to the length of a full season. When he is at his best, the offense with the best wide receiver duo in the NFL has every right to believe they are the best in the league. 

Now that the continuity and chemistry of the offensive line are improving after the growth made at the end of last season, there is no excuse for head coach Zac Taylor to underwhelm this year. That’s especially true after his decision to retain playcalling duties, despite the chatter of offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher to do so after the continued failures. If he’s not able to put together a successful season in 2026, he will likely be fired next summer, just like the rest of the AFC North coaches were this offseason.