Two Around the NFL Analysts Make Bold Super Bowl Prediction for Cincinnati Bengals

The 2026 NFL season is less than a week away, as the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots kick off the year Wednesday in a Super Bowl LX rematch. The Cincinnati Bengals then get their season started Sunday, Sept. 13, when they host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

With the regular season so close, Around the NFL published an article outlining its Super Bowl picks, and two analysts made a bold prediction about the Bengals.

The Los Angeles Rams were the clear favorite, receiving eight of the 19 votes from the analysts. The Buffalo Bills were second with three votes, while Cincinnati was next with two votes to take home the Lombardi Trophy.

The Bengals are currently +1900 to win the Super Bowl.

Brooke Cersosimo predicts the Bengals will defeat the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LXI, saying Cincinnati will prevail with a game-winning stop from Dexter Lawrence. David Ely was the other analyst to pick Cincinnati, predicting a win over the Rams with a late Joe Burrow touchdown to avenge the loss from five years ago.

It is worth mentioning the Bengals were picked to make the Super Bowl by one other person, but picked to lose. Nick Shook says it will be a rematch of Super Bowl LVI, with Los Angeles beating Cincinnati again to win another championship.

While Cincinnati is far from the consensus favorite, there are legitimate reasons for optimism heading into the season.

The biggest is the health of Joe Burrow. The Bengals went 6-11 last season, but Burrow played in only eight games. Cincinnati went 5-3 in those games, showing how much of a difference his availability can make.

The Bengals also made significant additions to their defense this offseason. Cincinnati added Lawrence, Jonathan Allen, Boye Mafe, Bryan Cook and Kyle Dugger in an effort to improve a unit that has struggled to consistently complement Burrow and the offense.

When healthy, Cincinnati already has one of the NFL's most talented offensive cores with Burrow, Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. If the revamped defense can take a significant step forward, the Bengals have a chance to be much more competitive against the league's top teams.

There are still questions to answer, though. Cincinnati has missed the playoffs in each of the past three seasons, and staying healthy will be critical. Chase and Higgins have also dealt with minor injuries leading into the season, although both are expected to be ready for Week 1.

Ultimately, the Bengals don't need to worry about proving these analysts right yet. They first need to get back to the playoffs.

Still, having three analysts predict Cincinnati will reach Super Bowl LXI shows there is growing belief that this roster has the talent to make a deep postseason run. If Burrow stays healthy and the defense lives up to its offseason additions, perhaps these bold predictions won't be so bold after all.