Looking Towards Next Year: Path for the Bengals To Make Super Bowl LVII

The Bengals fell short of winning their first Super Bowl in over 30 years on Sunday when they lost to the Los Angeles Rams by a score of 23-20. This was not only the Bengals' last championship win but also the last time a Cincinnati team, in general, had won a championship or a playoff game.

The Bengals fell short of the ultimate goal for every team in the NFL but blew many’s expectations out of the water as most analysts predicted that the Bengals would finish dead last in the AFC North. They went on to win the AFC North and took down three playoff teams to make it to Super Bowl LVI.

They, now, have the tall task of building up the pieces again for another great season and potential deep playoff run in the 2022-2023 season. Let’s take a look ahead at what is to come for the future for these Cincinnati Bengals.

Odds

Shortly after the conclusion of Super Bowl LVI, the opening odds of winning Super Bowl LVII came out. The Buffalo Bills are the favorites to win the Super Bowl at +750 but just three spots back, the Cincinnati Bengals are the seventh most likely to win the Super Bowl next year at +1600 odds.

If you were to tell any Bengals fan that Cincinnati would be making it to the Super Bowl that year, they would’ve thought you were crazy. Tell that same fan, now, that the Bengals have the fourth-best chance to win the Super Bowl, and they will tell you that they should be even higher. That is how special this 2021-2022 Bengals team was to this city of Cincinnati.

What to Look For in the 2022/2023 Bengals

I expect the Bengals to make some big moves for their offensive line in the NFL draft this offseason. They are officially in “win now” mode as their young team gets one more year of experience under their belt. 

With the generational talent of Joe Burrow, star running back Joe Mixon, and Offensive Rookie of the Year Ja’Marr Chase, the only weak point of the Bengals offense has been their line. The Bengals have all of their picks, including two in Round 7, and are targeting lineman such as 314-pound Zion Johnson from Boston College and 300-pound Max Mitchell from the University of Louisiana-Lafayette.

With $48 million in cap space according to the site Spotrac, that is top five in the NFL and the Bengals are expected to keep the talent that is needed. They will also have the possibility of bringing in some talent if it makes sense in the payroll. It will be interesting to see if Mike Brown and the Bengals bring in some veteran talent to help lead this young team.

Conclusion

The Bengals are in the driver’s seat coming into this next season and can be one of the teams to beat if they can put together a good offseason and bring on the players that they need to win. This is the most exciting time to be a fan of this young organization that will only get better with time as long as the front office can keep them happy.

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