The Cincinnati Bengals have never been a darling among oddsmakers. To make matters worse, the Cleveland Browns continue to make major upgrades in the AFC North, which muddies the Super Bowl LIV odds outlook.
According to the latest odds pass from Gilles Gallant of OddsShark, the Bengals are now +12500 odds to win the Super Bowl. The Browns have jumped up to +1400, tied for fifth-best.
The Bengals are actually tied for second-worst odds in the league with Arizona, Miami and the New York Jets. Only Washington has worse odds.
No doubt a ho-hum offseason for the Bengals so far has hurt the outlook in the minds of oddsmakers. The team took a long time finding a defensive coordinator and hasn’t necessarily improved in free agency.
Giving raises to Bobby Hart, B.W. Webb and Preston Brown didn’t inspire confidence nationally, and re-signing Tyler Eifert is a gamble.
We’ll have to see how a similar team to last year’s roster plays under new coach Zac Taylor. But with the new Baker Mayfield-to-Odell-Beckham connection, it’s understandable the Browns are ahead in the offseason hype department, especially after sweeping the Battle of Ohio last year.
