The NFL season isn't going how we expected for the Cincinnati Bengals.
Now, to be fair, Cincinnati's 3-2 record going into the Week 6 bye is exactly what The Enquirer's two Bengals beat reporters and columnist all projected. But how the Bengals got there? Yeah, none of us can claim we had the team getting to 3-2 in the manner it did.
And going forward? Sheesh. At the very least, there are some doubts about what comes next in 2026. Collectively, our year-end predictions for the Bengals landed in a tight spread: Two of us projected 11-6 seasons with an AFC North championship, while columnist Jason Williams foresaw a 10-7 season with a Wild Card berth (and we all had Cincinnati winning a playoff game to advance to the Divisional round of AFC playoff bracket).
With the knowledge we have after five games − the running game is middling and inconsistent, the team lost two winnable games, and the worst team in the NFL had its best day offensively against Cincinnati, to name a few findings − this is my re-pick of the game-by-game predictions. And you better believe I'm backing off my 11-6 prediction.
Week 7: Bengals at Baltimore Ravens, 1 p.m., Oct. 25, CBS
Updated outlook: I said before the season that this would be the toughest divisional game for the Bengals in 2026. I still think that's correct. I think it's also still fair to say Cincinnati will benefit from two weeks of preparation for this game (they'll need it). You also have to consider that Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson is banged up. That would seem to benefit Cincinnati, except that Baltimore just beat the better-than-anticipated Atlanta Falcons with longtime quarterback and backup Tyler Huntley. Bottom line: If a terrible, 0-5 Dolphins team with a woeful Malik Willis at quarterback can have its best offensive day of the year against the Bengals defense, what's the serviceable Huntley and the gargantuan Derrick Henry going to do to Cincinnati? I'm flipping my pick here to a Bengals loss. Pick: Ravens 31, Bengals 28.
Our original predictions: Kelsey Conway had a Ravens win, Jason Williams and I had Bengals wins.
Week 8: Bengals vs. Tennessee Titans, 1 p.m., Nov. 1, CBS
Updated outlook: The 0-5 Titans are who we thought they were, and maybe even a little worse. The Bengals should survive this home game, but it will be unsatisfying like the win against the Dolphins. It could also look like the late-season win over Tennessee in 2024. I'm sticking with my original pick: Bengals 30, Titans 27.
Our original predictions: All three members of our Bengals coverage team had Cincinnati beating Tennessee.
Week 9: Bengals at Atlanta Falcons, 9:30 a.m., Nov. 8, NFL Network (Madrid)
Updated outlook: My original prediction was a 31-point Bengals win at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, home field of famous Spanish soccer club Real Madrid. I no longer think that's possible as Atlanta has shown flashes of tremendous upside under head coach Kevin Stefanski. The Falcons are built like a team that could eek out a win in this game. I'm flipping my pick to a Falcons win. Pick: Falcons 30, Bengals 24.
Our original predictions: All three members of our Bengals coverage team had Cincinnati beating Atlanta in Madrid.
Week 10: Bengals vs. Steelers, 8:20 p.m., Nov. 15, NBC Sunday Night Football
Updated outlook: I predicted a Bengals win in this game (of course, I also predicted the Bengals would win at Pittsburgh). But if Cincinnati enters with a 4-4 record, per my updated game predictions, this primetime game becomes an absolute must-win. At home, and considering the narrow-margin loss fraught with self-inflicted errors, giveaways and terrible tackling against bruising tight end Darnell Washington when these teams first met Sept. 27, I think the Bengals can do enough to eke out this win. So, I'll hang onto my original prediction of Bengals 20, Steelers 17.
Our original predictions: Kelsey Conway and Pat Brennan predicted Bengals wins while Jason Williams predicted a Steelers win.
Week 11: Bengals at Washington Commanders, 8:15 p.m., Nov. 23, ESPN Monday Night Football
Updated outlook: In Week 5, Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels returned from a two-week injury absence and posted this stat line: 17-of-25 passing for 199 yards (no interceptions); nine carries for 103 yards and two rushing touchdowns. We'll set aside the fact that Daniels was on the field in overtime as Washington ran out the clock in against the New York Giants, creating an all-time blunder of time mismanagement that produced a tie. If Daniels is healthy and plays like that against Cincinnati, a game I already thought the Bengals will lose could be very ugly. Keep in mind this game will conclude a stretch of three straight primetime games starting with the Falcons game in Madrid. The Bengals will be gassed, so I'm increasing my margin of defeat for this re-pick from 31-21 to Commanders 38, Bengals 17.
Our original predictions: All three members of our Bengals coverage team predicted the Commanders would win.
Week 12: Bengals vs. New Orleans Saints, 1 p.m., Nov. 29, CBS
Updated outlook: The Bengals aren't who I thought they'd be, but I feel the same way about the Saints (now 1-4 through five games). I'm decreasing the margin of victory but still giving the Bengals a convincing win. Pick: Bengals 31, Saints 17.
Our original predictions: All three members of our Bengals coverage team predicted a Cincinnati win.
Week 13: Bengals at Cleveland Browns, 1 p.m., Dec. 6, CBS
Updated outlook: I had given some thought to the Browns being a force in the AFC race for wild card berths, but then Cleveland dropped a 17-12 game to the New York Jets. I'll still give Cincinnati the edge over Cleveland. Pick: Bengals 28, Browns 17.
Our original predictions: Kelsey Conway and Pat Brennan predicted Bengals wins while Jason Williams predicted a Browns win.
Week 14: Bengals vs. Kansas City Chiefs, 4:25 p.m., Dec. 13, FOX
Updated outlook: Initially, I thought this game could live up to the classic Bengals-Chiefs encounters of yore, but only the Chiefs are holding up their end of the bargain so far at 4-0 through five weeks (Kansas City had its bye in Week 5). Based on what we've seen of the Bengals defense so far, 37-year-old Travis Kelce could still cut Cincinnati's defense into ribbons. You can say the same for KC running back Kenneth Walker III. We haven't seen the Bengals defense put a complete game together, and while improvement is possible by mid-December (perhaps likely), I no longer think Cincinnati can match and beat the aging, fading, dynastic Chiefs. Pick: Chiefs 31, Bengals 20.
Our original predictions: Kelsey Conway predicted a Chiefs win. Pat Brennan and Jason Williams predicted one-point Bengals wins.
Week 15: Bengals at Carolina Panthers, 1 p.m., Dec. 20, FOX
Updated outlook: The Panthers and Falcons look like they'll go head-to-head in the race for the NFC South in 2026. Since that looks like it could be a very tight race with the eventual division champ posting a modest record (Carolina is 2-2 entering Week 6), the game might just mean more to the Panthers. I have the Bengals at 7-5 entering this game, so it'll mean plenty to them, too, but I'm keeping my original pick of: Panthers 29, Bengals 24.
Our original predictions: Kelsey Conway and Jason Williams predicted Bengals wins while Pat Brennan predicted a Panthers win.
Week 16: Bengals at Indianapolis Colts, TBD, Dec. 26 or Dec. 27
Updated outlook: This game is still screaming out to me with these words: "The Lou Anarumo Revenge Game." I'm screaming out that I'm holding steady on my original prediction of: Colts 24, Bengals 16.
Our original predictions: All three members of our Bengals coverage team predicted Colts wins.
Week 17: Bengals vs. Baltimore Ravens, 8:15 p.m., Dec. 31, Amazon Prime Thursday Night Football
Updated outlook: So much for the idea that Cincinnati might catch the rest of the AFC North in a transition year as the three other organizations all settled into new head coaching regimes. After starting 4-1 with some formidable obstacles including an injury to Lamar Jackson, Ravens head coach Jesse Minter looks like the real deal. Maybe Baltimore is close to wrapping up the division by this point in the year. Maybe the Bengals need to have this game to stay alive in a push for a wild card spot, but I also have them at 7-8 at this point. That means their playoff hopes are likely hanging by a thread. This New Year's Eve game is a long way away, but unless the Bengals defense takes major steps forward, I don't see how they take a game off this Ravens team this year. My pick actually stays this same for this particular game, but the circumstances I foresee by Week 17 are drastically different from what I imagined prior to Week 1. Pick Ravens 31, Bengals 24.
Our original predictions: Pat Brennan and Jason Williams predicted Ravens wins while Kelsey Conway predicted a Bengals win.
Week 18: Bengals vs. Cleveland Browns, TBD, Jan. 9 or Jan. 10
Updated outlook: If my updated predictions hold up, Cincinnati is 7-9 entering this game, and basically staring into the abyss. It's a home game, but fans wouldn't be very engaged given the circumstances. Cincinnati can have this one, but only because the Browns will be more checked out than the hosts. Pick: Bengals 29, Browns 10.
Our original predictions: All three members of our Bengals coverage team predicted Bengals wins.
Updated Bengals 2026 predictions, and how I got there
My current expectations of the Bengals are a three-game swing from when I went to bed on Sept. 12, the eve of the season opener against the Buccaneers. That night, I thought the Bengals were an 11-6 team and an AFC North champion that would win a playoff game. I imagined the Bengals would host multiple playoff games (that would have been a first in the Zac Taylor era, by the way).
As of Week 6, I no longer expect any of those things. I anticipate Cincinnati will finish 8-9, miss the playoffs, and I see it that way because:
- The defense isn't good enough. They still miss too many tackles and as good as Dexter Lawrence II, Boye Mafe, Jonathan Allen and the new faces brought in this past offseason have been, the weak spots at linebacker and safety are too much to compensate for.
- The Bengals can't or won't run the ball. Six weeks into the season, there's an open question about whether Samaje Perine or Chase Brown should be the starting running back, and neither player looks capable of taking over a game. Perine was more effective against the Dolphins. Brown had the best single-game rushing output so far (80 yards vs. Houston). Joe Burrow carrying the ball is terrifying. Any way you look at what the Bengals do in this area of the game, they're underwhelming. And as much as people like to think there's always a heave-it-up-to-Ja'Marr-or-Tee option, you can't survive off that alone.
- Burrow's protection has held up well enough, but the offensive line is thin. Hopefully, Dalton Risner is significantly more healthy after the bye week. Even while apparently compromised physically, he still stayed on the field against the Jacksonville Jaguars and wasn't as effective. The Dolphins game was better as Burrow wasn't sacked and was hit only a handful of times. Helping Orlando Brown Jr., who has struggled at times, takes something away from the offense, too. And even when Burrow's protection is decent, he's still capable of extending a play that results in more contact (Sept. 27 vs. the Steelers) or diving into places he shouldn't for fumbles (Oct. 11 vs. Dolphins). Burrow turns 30 in December. He is beloved for his style of play, but he's still putting himself in harm's way like this at this stage in his career? Against Miami, he emerged with only a jammed thumb on his non-throwing hand after diving for a fumbled ball, but anything could happen to Burrow's body when he chooses to play the game this way. That's a concern for this season, and beyond.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Updating our Bengals preseason predictions. How we see 2026 finishing
