What Would Moving to 2-0 Mean for Cincinnati Bengals Chances in AFC North?

The Bengals have a chance to go 2-0 when they face off against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field this Sunday at 1:00 p.m. EST on FOX. The Bears come into this game 0-1 after losing 34-14 to the Los Angeles Rams. The Bengals made a late OT comeback to hit a game-winning field goal to beat the Minnesota Vikings.

The odds for this game favor the Chicago Bears slightly at -2.5 (-120). The Bengals sit at +2.5 (+100) as the underdog. The over/under is set at 45 with the odds at -110 to bet either. The Moneyline for the Bengals and the Bears are +135 and -155, respectively.

AFC North Current Standings

The Bengals and Steelers sit at the top of the standings at 1-0. The Browns and Ravens both lost their first game to go 0-1 and sit at the bottom half of the standings.

The Steelers will be facing off against the Raiders on Sunday and are slight five point favorites to win that game at home. The Browns are a 12 point favorite as they host the Houston Texans in Cleveland. The Chiefs are traveling to Baltimore to face the Ravens and are 3.5 point favorites as the away team.

Bengals Hopes

If nothing else, moving to 2-0 would be a great moral victory for this young Bengals team. Everyone is writing them off to be the last-place team in the division at the end of the year and this would provide them the confidence that they need to be a legitimate contender this season.

This game would prove whether they are different or the same Bengals team as previous years. Bengals fans know that their team loves to blow leads, lose crucial games and commit unnecessary penalties that cost them games. This is a game that is very winnable and put them on the radar in the AFC North.

Reality Check

This will only be the second game of the season so there are many more games to be played. If the Bengals were to go 2-15 after being 2-0 then it would essentially mean nothing, but if we are only looking at the present going 2-0 after winning two tough games would be pivotal in setting up their season for success.

The Bengals going 2-0 would be great, but it ultimately depends on what the other teams in the AFC North do. If either Cleveland or Baltimore loses their game, then that would mean the Bengals are two games up from the last place in the division which gives them more room if mistakes are made.

They also have the potential of going into Week 3 being the sole first-place team in the AFC North by going 2-0 which is important for the Bengals and their fans to continue backing them. Every win is a good win no matter what part of the season it is in. The best part of going 2-0 is that the Bengals won another football game and did enough to beat a decent team on the road.