Survival is perhaps the best word to describe the theme of the Cincinnati Bengals‘ season so far.
The team survived to 3-3, enduring Joe Burrow’s calf injury and a brutal opening sequence that included Baltimore and Cleveland.
Now, the team hopes the theme of the second half coming out of the bye is simple — going on a run.
It’s no easy task. Right out of the gates, Burrow and Co. have to face the San Francisco 49ers and then the Buffalo Bills. Houston isn’t a slouch before Baltimore and Pittsburgh and neither are Jacksonville and Indianapolis. Later, they close the season against Pittsburgh, Kansas City and Cleveland.
Let’s take a look at updated projections for each game now that we have seen six games from these 2023 Bengals.
Week 8: at 49ers
The 49ers are maybe the best team in the league, yet there’s reason for hope. Brock Purdy and Co. looked human in Week 6 during a loss to the Browns, have injury issues of their own and enter this one off a short week after playing a Monday night game. The Bengals should have a healthy Burrow and will be better rested, road game or not.
Prediction: Win
Week 9: vs. Bills
With Burrow presumably at 100 percent health, this should look a lot like last year when the Bengals were pacing to blow the Bills out during the regular season before the game got called off, then really blew them out in the playoffs. It’s just a bad matchup for Buffalo.
Prediction: Win
Week 10: vs. Texans
We call this a trap game. Fortunately for the Bengals, the upstart Texans have looked rough against great teams, like a 25-9 loss to Baltimore. Lou Anarumo will need to confuse breakout rookie C.J. Stroud to create an advantage.
Prediction: Win
Week 11: at Ravens
This one boils down pretty simply: Lamar Jackson plays, the Ravens probably win. If he doesn’t, it swings the other way. Jackson’s just playing that good right now, flirting with the MVP race, on top of all the other problems the Ravens usually present for the Bengals.
Prediction: Loss
Week 12: vs. Steelers
The Steelers are always a tough out, but Kenny Pickett isn’t scaring anyone, as Pittsburgh looks trapped in a bit of football purgatory for the foreseeable future.
Prediction: Win
Week 13: at Jaguars
Don’t sleep on the 5-2 Jags. Provided Trevor Lawrence’s injury as of this writing doesn’t limit him near the start of December for this matchup, they’ve got all the right pieces to give the Bengals big problems.
Prediction: Loss
Week 14: vs. Colts
If breakout rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson wasn’t lost for the season, this one’s outlook would be much murkier. But the already-.500 Colts as of this writing might be going through the motions by this point.
Prediction: Win
Week 15: vs. Vikings
As of this writing, the flatlining Vikings are 2-4, with the two wins coming over teams with a combined one win. Now, they project to be big sellers at the trade deadline.
Prediction: Win
Week 16: at Steelers
Last year, the Bengals still split with the Steelers because Pittsburgh caught them at the start of the season with Burrow slowed by the appendix — never mind the long-snapper injury mid-game. But now, we’re working under the presumption Burrow is back and the offense is in full swing.
Prediction: Win
Week 17: at Chiefs
Know what would be nice for this one? No silly comments from mayors or fake media controversies like “Burrowhead” to dilute what could be the game of the year for the league. As of this writing, though, the Chiefs have lost a single game by just one point.
Prediction: Loss
Week 18: vs. Browns
Good luck figuring out what version of the Browns shows up for this. The team won last week without Deshaun Watson and has a stunning defense. But the injuries have been piling up and this one is at Paycor Stadium. We’ll call it a win as the Bengals jockey for playoff standing and to split the season series.
Prediction: Win
Final thoughts
Final record: 11-6
Winning eight of 11 might seem a little confident in the face of such a schedule. But this is largely the same team that won 10 in a row last year before coming a few plays from a second consecutive Super Bowl showing. It really just comes down to Burrow’s health and based on what we’ve seen over the last two games, he’s nearing 100 percent. If key pieces like Tee Higgins and Chidobe Awuzie can too, question marks like the offensive line and a young secondary have already started to sort themselves out. The 11 wins here might just end up being enough to steal the AFC North too, depending on the injury situations for the other teams. And even if not, nobody really wants to see these Bengals regardless of seeding if they establish this type of momentum going into playoff games.
