As the NFL season draws closer (the Hall of Fame game is Aug. 6), USA Today writer Nate Davis released his record projections, division standings and subsequent playoff seeds for all 32 teams.
Davis projects the Cincinnati Bengals to go 11-6, win the AFC North and receive a No. 4-seed in the playoffs.
While he didn't break down the schedule for each team, he does highlight reasons for success and shortfalls. Here's what he wrote about the Bengals:
They need some things – like for their sublimely talented but often brittle quarterback to stay in the lineup … and for a highly compensated offensive nucleus to deliver the goods … and for what’s been a dreadful defense to elevate to subpar, at minimum. Basically, this is Dallas East. But QB Joe Burrow
appears ready to go, the defense received significant offseason investment, Zac Taylor is the only head coach in the division who was with his team last year and just two teams have weaker schedules than Cincy’s (opponents with a .450 winning percentage in 2025). Maybe the Bengals aren’t as complete as some of the NFC’s seemingly elite squads. But in what seems to be something of a wide-open AFC, perhaps Cincinnati is just as good a bet to get back to the SoFi Super Bowl stage they shared with the Rams at the end of the 2021 campaign.
When it comes to the AFC playoffs, Davis projects the Houston Texans to have the best record in the conference and receive the top seed. Following the Texans are the Denver Broncos, Buffalo Bills, Bengals, Kansas City Chiefs, New England Patriots and Baltimore Ravens.
He projects the Bengals to beat the Chiefs during Wild Card weekend before losing at Buffalo in the divisional round. The Bengals have a 3-0 record against Buffalo in the playoffs, winning their most recent matchup, 27-10 on Jan. 22, 2023, in a snow-packed affair.
In Davis's simulation, Buffalo defeats Baltimore in the AFC Championship before falling to the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl 61. The Rams beat the Tennessee Titans in Super Bowl 34 when they were located in St. Louis, and beat the Bengals in Super Bowl 56.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: See Cincinnati Bengals projected record, division rank from USA Today
