Cincinnati Bengals: 2017 season record prediction
By Kenn Korb
Week 10: Cincinnati at Tennessee
Pregame Cincinnati Record: 5-3
The third of three straight AFC South matchups, and the second of three straight road games. The trip is off to a decent start, but though their record may be similar around this point in the year, Tennessee should be a much more complete challenge to Cincinnati that Jacksonville.
Tennessee may not have the defensive ceiling of Jacksonville, but they do bring an already-potent run defense (No. 10 Run Defense DVOA in 2016) to the table, and personnel moves to revamp their secondary (including cornerback Adoree’ Jackson) and pass rush (Erik Walden) should improve upon a moribund 2016 for the pass defense.
They definitely outrank their division mates on offense. Marcus Mariota is an ascending quarterback talent. The offensive line has bookend tackles (Jack Conklin, Taylor Lewan) and a good center (Ben Jones). Their skill positions have been heavily invested in: this offseason, they added wide receivers Corey Davis (2017 NFL Draft, 1st Round) and Eric Decker (free agent) to a skill position group already hosting running backs Demarco Murray and Derrick Henry, receiver Rishard Matthews, and tight end Delanie Walker. There’s a reason this team has gotten tons of buzz as “This Year’s Raiders”, and Cincinnati will get to experience them first-hand.
That won’t work out well for the guys in black and orange. Their defensive line will struggle to get pressure on Mariota because his line is excellent, and his ability to extend plays and run when they break down will keep numerous drives going. On the other side, a stout run defense led by Jurrell Casey will force Cincinnati to pass more than they would like, and the improve Tennessee back seven will take advantage with a couple key plays down the stretch.
Tennessee: 24, Cincinnati: 20
Week 11: Cincinnati at Denver
Pregame Cincinnati Record: 5-4
The road trip reaches its final outing, but it won’t be any easier for Cincinnati’s offense. For the third straight game, the team is set to face what could be a top-10 defense of the 2017 season. With this being a road game as well, that makes things even tougher on an offense that could easily be in a funk because of all the expert competition.
This is a game where the defense will really need to make a statement. If they can, it proves Cincinnati will be a worthy challenger for a playoff spot as the season winds down. If not, they will sit at a perilous spot and need a big run through December to keep any hopes of that alive.
Lucky for that side of the ball, Denver appears constructed more like Jacksonville than Tennessee at this point.
They’ll likely have a better defense than Tennessee, sure, but offensively they’ve got about as many issues as the Jaguars. Their receivers are marginally better, but their runners aren’t as talented, they have yet to prove their offensive line won’t be a depressing sore spot again (though they did invest quite a bit towards that goal), and their quarterback spot looks to also be their downfall.
Trevor Siemian played admirably for a former seventh-round draft pick last year, but his weaknesses and limitations were clear by the end of the year, and he proved incapable of upping his game in December as the team fell out of the playoff picture. Though Paxton Lynch was drafted last year to be the eventual starter here, he couldn’t win the job from Siemian for two years running now and may never be a quality option.
With a foe that exhibits clear weaknesses to attack, Cincinnati’s defense should more than hold their end of the deal up. If their offensive counterparts can get just two or three scoring drives, I think it’ll be enough to eke out a road victory on this afternoon.
Cincinnati: 10, Denver: 9
Week 12: Cleveland at Cincinnati
Pregame Cincinnati Record: 6-4
After a three game road trip, Cincinnati gets to begin an immediate three game homestand, with Cleveland coming to town in the first of those matchups.
By now, it’d be incredible if Cleveland isn’t well into another losing season. the difference from other years will be that they should have more to be excited about in their near future. Young players like Garrett and Peppers should be showing off their promise on a regular basis, and they should have a good sense as to whether rookie DeShone Kizer is in fact the young quarterback prospect they should hinge their future on.
What won’t be happening is a win against this Cincinnati team. It’s too soon in their process to expect them to actually beat playoff-caliber opponents, and Cincinnati will qualify as such by this time in the season.
With Pittsburgh coming to town the next week, handling their business against the Browns quickly will be the hope. The faster this game can end, the sooner they can move to the most daunting one remaining on their entire slate. Lots of handoffs and a handful of scores should let Cincinnati leave this game without issue.
Cincinnati: 30, Cleveland: 17
Week 13: Pittsburgh at Cincinnati
Pregame Cincinnati Record: 7-4
Was the first matchup a fluke or an omen?
Cincinnati had given Pittsburgh some really close battles in recent years (again, 4 of the past 5 leading into this season were one-score contests). By now, the team has also proven to be a quality squad who should be in the lead for a wild-card spot through 12 weeks. Pittsburgh is probably better overall, but are they multiple touchdowns better? They might be.
Looking at who they play this season, they should have a distinct offensive advantage practically every game. That offense has been talked up endlessly the past few years, but now we may potentially finally see what all these assorted skill pieces can do together for an extended period of time.
Between Antonio Brown, Le’Veon Bell, and Martavis Bryant, they have three game-breakers for Ben Roethlisberger to target on any given play, at any area on the field. They have an underrated offensive line to give him plenty of time too, as well as numerous unheralded-but-talented backups at the skill positions who can make hay while defenses fruitlessly break themselves to cover the main attractions.
Cincinnati is good in their own right on both sides of the ball, but even the expected modest improvements probably aren’t enough to put them in Pittsburgh’s current class. Another blowout to their perennial foils commences.