The Cincinnati Bengals hold one of the easiest strength of schedules in the NFL before the NFL announces the official schedule Thursday.
According to ESPN’s Jamison Hensley, the Bengals sit with the sixth-easiest schedule based on opponent’s win-loss records from a season ago.
But there’s always a but.
But…this isn’t totally unexpected. Courtesy of the 2-14 season last year, the Bengals get to play last-place finishers in other divisions.
Besides those last-place finishers, the Bengals get to play the NFC East and AFC South. The former has struggling franchises like the New York Giants and Washington Redskins, while the latter has the Jacksonville Jaguars. Other struggling opponents on the schedule include the Miami Dolphins and Los Angeles Chargers.
We’ll see how the official schedule holds up when it gets announced Thursday — and if it remains the same amid the coronavirus pandemic.
On paper, though, the Bengals are much improved after an active trip to free agency. While the Browns are getting a ton of hype in the AFC North, experts think Bengals rookies like Joe Burrow are going to have a bigger instant impact than almost any rookie class in the NFL.
The free-agency adds and talent of the rookie class sure pair nicely with the favorable, albeit flimsy current strength of schedule.
