Cincinnati Bengals 2020 NFL schedule: 5 must-win games

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CINCINNATI, OH – DECEMBER 29: Darius Phillips #24 of the Cincinnati Bengals returns an interception as Wyatt Teller #77 of the Cleveland Browns tries to make the tackle during the first half at Paul Brown Stadium on December 29, 2019 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /

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At this point, it’s hard to see the Bengals making any noise in their division just yet. Despite the Browns perennially being the Browns, the reality is that Cleveland is still a year or even two ahead of the Bengals in terms of overall talent acquisition and development.

Still that doesn’t mean that the Bengals aren’t capable of pulling off an “upset”—feels weird to say that about any team versus the Browns—especially if Burrow is everything the team is hoping he will be. It’s also true that the Bengals already split with the Browns last year, a season-ending victory over a Browns team that had clearly given up.

In the team’s final two games of the year (the Browns win, an overtime loss to the Dolphins), Zac Taylor’s offense put up 68 total points. He’s also now familiar with Tyler Boyd and Joe Mixon that much more, and the Bengals should be adding a dynamic wide receiver to pair with Boyd and keep defenses honest.

A warning shot of a home victory over a division rival feels like the ideal bragging point upon which the Bengals could hang a hat after this year. And if they did it last year, maybe it’s not that big of a stretch after all.

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