Are the Bengals Being Over-looked?
The Cincinnati Bengals may be the reigning AFC North Champions, but it certainly wouldn’t seem that way.
With the spectacular offseason work the Baltimore Ravens have had and the disastrous offseason that the Pittsburgh Steelers have had, it’s understandable why the Ravens are the favorites heading into this season.
The Ravens acquired wide receiver (WR) Anquan Boldin this offseason, which gives them a long awaited playmaking receiver.
Meanwhile, the Pittsburgh Steelers traded away Super Bowl XLIII MVP Santonio Holmes, and Ben Roethlisberger or "Big Ben," is suspended for 4-6 games to start the season. Nevertheless, people are looking at the Steelers to either finish second, or even surprise the Ravens and retake their spot on top.
While it is very easy, and the most logical pick, to take the Ravens, the rest of their division aren’t exactly pushovers either.
We know why the Steelers have fallen out of the picture, at least according to many experts. No Holmes, no Big Ben to start and their defence last season showed that they were human once Troy Polamalu got hurt. They also gave up four touchdowns off of kick returns and lost to AFC cellar dwellers in Oakland, Kansas City, and Cleveland, which ultimately doomed their season.
It is still foolish to completely write off the Steelers though.
However, it may be just as foolish to write off the Bengals. They may have had their share of controversy this offseason with the arrest of star running back (RB) Cedric Benson, but it wasn’t nearly as bad as the Steelers offseason. They have done several things to address last year’s weaknesses as well.
Cincinnati improved their passing game as they hope that WR Antonio Bryant can regain his old form. It certainly should be easier for Bryant not being on a lowly Tampa Bay Buccaneers team. Rookie tight end (TE) Jermaine Gresham can also make an immediate impact and is expected to catch between 40 to 50 passes right off the bat.
Last year, the team also had one of the best defenses in the league and they have continued to improve. They have more depth and the pieces seem to be in place for another good season from them.
Perhaps the biggest reason for the Bengals success last season was a perfect 6-0 record against their division. Their defence outplayed all other defenses in the division, including those big bad Ravens and "the Steel Curtain." With the Bengals finishing the season at 10-6, their six wins against their division helped drop Pittsburgh out of the playoffs and forced the Ravens to settle for a wild-card spot.
What was a concern for the Bengals is that they didn’t nearly play their best football in December. In the last month of the season, the team slumped and needed a tight 17-10 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 16 to clinch the division.
The Bengals started off 7-2 only to go 3-4 to close the season and lost three of their last four games. They then lost to an upstart NY Jets team in the wild-card round. Their slump at the tail end of last year may also weigh in on the minds of those picking against them this year.
Cincinnati have not won a playoff game in 20 years and their slide at the end of last season has many thinking that their winning the North last year was a fluke and lightning won’t strike twice. The Ravens are expected to roll right over the division, but you can never count out the reigning champs. Don’t expect the Bengals to lay down. They’re not going to go away quietly and whoever wins this division is going to have to earn it.
Tags: