The Cincinnati Bengals are a mystery heading into Week 1 of the regular season thanks to the first major coaching shakeup in more than 10 years.
That means any wide ranges of results could happen. But at ESPN, a simulation sees things getting worse before they get better.
ESPN’s simulation of the season landed on the Bengals with a 3-13 record and winning the first overall pick:
Cincinnati on the clock: After finishing with just three wins, the Bengals edge out the Panthers on tiebreakers for the No. 1 pick in the 2020 NFL draft.
Oddly enough, this simulation has the Bengals pulling off an upset over Seattle to start the season before things go off the rails. This includes a 41-17 loss in London to the Rams and a 24-0 loss to Cleveland, the AFC North champions, to close the season.
That’s an overly negative outlook for the season, to say the least. But given the big element of the unknown, contention for the first overall pick is an angle to keep in mind.
The Bengals have much bigger plans for this season though, so this simulation should be an interesting revisit in January.
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