Cincinnati Bengals: 2019 season pre-draft record prediction
By Kenn Korb
Following the release of the Cincinnati Bengals 2019 schedule, an early look ahead at a record prediction before the NFL Draft festivities.
It’s been an offseason of change for the Cincinnati Bengals. They swiftly swept out the Marvin Lewis era, replacing it with the young Zac Taylor regime. Big names of note (such as Vontaze Burfict) were removed from the equation, opening the door of opportunity for younger, sprier options.
Will these changes allow Cincinnati to quickly get out of the mediocre doldrums the franchise has been wallowing in for the past three years? Or will those hopes of competitiveness be laid out on a longer track?
With the 2019 NFL schedule recently being released, here’s a quick early look at how the 2019 season could go for these Bengals, before the NFL Draft shakes things up.
September
Week 1: at Seattle
This is as tough a season opener as there could be: a team with a new coach going on the road to face a team which was just in the playoffs. It’s even tougher than it sounds, too. Since 2003, only the Patriots (130-27) have a better home record than Seattle (102-37). Meanwhile, only four teams have a worse road record than Cincinnati over the past three years (7-17).
Seattle 34, Cincinnati 13
Week 2: vs. San Francisco
We don’t yet know what either of these teams will be. Cincinnati has undergone a ton of changes this offseason, while the 49ers must hope that this time around their still-pretty-new franchise quarterback is able to both stay healthy and play at a level commensurate to his huge contract. The 49ers are further along in their roster rebuild, so in theory they should be a more complete team. With that in mind, it’d be easy to see Cincinnati lose their home opener.
San Francisco 23, Cincinnati 17
Week 3: at Buffalo
This game could be the early decider on whether either of these teams will see their season rendered moot before October. There’s a sad path which puts both at 0-2 entering this week, with a tough matchup the following week as well. Is Buffalo’s Josh Allen ready to take the next step as a hopeful franchise quarterback? If so, between him and a defense which should still be good, the Bengals will have their hands full.
Buffalo 27, Cincinnati 16
Week 4: at Pittsburgh
The Bengals haven’t beaten Pittsburgh since 2015, with every loss more crushing than the last. Though the Steelers have plenty of their own turmoil to recover from, there’s no reason to expect them to lose to their favorite punching bags.
Pittsburgh 34, Cincinnati 23