NFL Schedule Preview: Cincinnati Bengals

It’s 75 days until the new NFL season begins but for a football mad guy like me that’s just too long so I’ve taken it upon myself to go over each NFL schedule and try and predict for all of you what may happen once the season rolls around.

We continue our look at the AFC North with the Cincinnati Bengals who went 9-7 in 2011. Here’s how I think their season will go:

• Week 1 at Baltimore Ravens – Win
• Week 2 vs Cleveland Browns – Win
• Week 3 at Washington Redskins – Win
• Week 4 at Jacksonville Jaguars – Win
• Week 5 vs Miami Dolphins – Win
• Week 6 at Cleveland Browns – Win
• Week 7 vs Pittsburgh Steelers – Win
• Week 8 BYE
• Week 9 vs Denver Broncos – Win
• Week 10 vs New York Giants – Win
• Week 11 at Kansas City Chiefs – Loss
• Week 12 vs Oakland Raiders – Win
• Week 13 at San Diego Chargers – Loss
• Week 14 vs Dallas Cowboys – Loss
• Week 15 at Philadelphia Eagles – Loss
• Week 16 at Pittsburgh Steelers – Loss
• Week 17 vs Baltimore Ravens – Win

Overall record for the Cincinnati Bengals: 11-5

The Bengals made some very encouraging steps forward last season as A.J. Green showed himself to be a stud in the making and the defense played pretty well despite not having a dominating pass rush. This year they will enjoy a very easy opening schedule this season with the only real challenge prior to their comfortable week 8 bye coming at home to the Pittsburgh Steelers but I think they continue their roll and go into the bye 7-0. Every year there is one of these teams that comes out of nowhere to start quick and then struggle towards the end of the season and this team is it.

For me there are two pivotal games in this schedule – the week 10 matchup at home against the Giants and week 17 at home against the Ravens. I believe the game against the Giants will be the game that exposes the weaknesses in this team as the ferocious pass-rush that Tom Coughlin has put together is guaranteed to find the holes in the Bengals offensive line and while I have the Bengals winning that one it is the game that opposing coaches use to gameplan for the Bengals and leads to the four game losing streak that comes later.

The Ravens game in week 17 becomes a must-win because the team must break their losing streak heading into the postseason. The Ravens may be aging and have lost personnel but they still have players who can challenge the Bengals and they always play hard in division matchups. Again the Bengals win and go through to the playoffs with a bit of momentum although regretting that at one point they were 9-0.

Next on the schedule – the Pittsburgh Steelers will be up tomorrow.

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