Who dey? The Cincinnati Bengals, who are one win from making Super Bowl LVI and cashing NFL betting lines’ outright odds. Nobody outside of Cincinnati expected these Bengals to get this far, its first conference championship appearance since the 1988 season. How did they get this far and is there more than meets the eye to these exciting Bengals?
Overall Performance
The Cincinnati Bengals (12-7) have shattered every preseason expectation of them so far. When the sportsbook’s odds opened, Cincinnati was +375 to make the playoffs and +2500 to win the AFC North. They accomplished both.
Now, the Bengals can pull off another stunner by upsetting the heavily favored Kansas City Chiefs to cash a +5000 ticket for them to win the AFC. As for the Super Bowl? Cincinnati was lined at +10000 to win the Lombardi Trophy, which was even longer than Chicago and Atlanta.
But the Bengals rallied around sophomore quarterback Joe Burrow and saw their performances, on both sides of the ball, improve. Cincinnati finished the regular season with the seventh-best offense and a defense that had its best ranking since the 2017 season (17th).
Cincinnati started the season slowly, going 5-4 overall and 4-5 as an NFL pick against the spread (ATS) in its first nine games. But the Bengals got hot down the stretch, earning a 7-3 record (8-2 ATS) in its last 10. It has come at a cost, though.
Wounded Animals
The Bengals’ surprise run has come at the sacrifice of many key players, particularly on the defensive side. Linemen Trey Hendrickson, Cam Sample and Josh Tupou were all hurt in the Divisional Round while Larry Ogunjobi was injured prior to it.
Defensive back Jalen Davis has also not practiced due to an ankle injury while on offense, the likes of tight end C.J. Uzomah, guard Fred Johnson and kicker Evan McPherson are banged up.
Cincinnati managed to overcome their absences against Tennessee. But to stop the offensive juggernaut that is Kansas City, the Bengals may be too thin. They’ve proven the odds wrong before, so we won’t put it against this team.
Road Rulers
One secret to Cincinnati’s success has been its road performances. The Bengals have gone 6-3 away from home and 7-1 ATS in their last eight games. As a road underdog, Cincinnati is 4-2 and 5-1 ATS. Four of these covers came against teams that have made the playoffs either this season or last.
The Bengals’ defense was the epitome of “clutch” as a visitor, leading the NFL in points allowed and ranking fifth in yards per play. This comes despite the defense giving up good chunks of yardage.
Cincinnati’s defense has allowed the second-lowest red zone scoring percentage on the road at just 46.2. This bend-don’t-break defense has kept the Bengals in the game long enough for Burrow and the offense to work their magic. This combination makes the Bengals a tantalizing bet online. Always.
Future is Now
John Elway. Peyton Manning. Joe Burrow? The list of quarterbacks taken first overall who changed their franchises for the better can be counted with one hand, but this is exactly what Burrow is doing with a team that was a perennial doormat for over three decades.
Burrow has put up some lofty stats and led the regular season in completion rate and yards per attempt. He did all this despite also leading the league in sacks at 54 — over three a game.
Big mood from @JoeyB after he and Ja’Marr Chase’s big day @Bengals 😂 pic.twitter.com/NDbXR5kkbe
— Andre Johnson, Jr. (@Andre247Now) January 2, 2022
But this is what made Burrow an inspiring figure for his team to rally around. Against the top-seededTitans, he tied an NFL record by getting sacked nine times and still winning the game. Together with his old friend and college teammate Ja’Marr Chase, the Bengals are 6-1 when the pair connected for over 100 yards.
Get hyped, Bengals fans. Now is the time to ride with Cincinnati as its continues its Cinderella run.
