Cincinnati Bengals' 2022 Schedule Could Signal Regression After Super Bowl Appearance
By Peter Dewey
Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase and the Cincinnati Bengals became the darlings of the NFL last season, going on a magical run to the Super Bowl before losing to the Los Angeles Rams.
Since Bengals were clearly ahead of schedule in Burrow’s second season, the team still had ample cap room to spend this offseason.
Cincinnati brought in offensive tackle La’el Collins, tight end Hayden Hurst, guard Alex Cappa and center Ted Karras. The offensive line improvements will be huge for a team that struggled to block anyone last season, especially Aaron Donald in the Super Bowl. Burrow took 51 sacks last season, the most in the NFL.
Even with those improvements, Cincinnati may be due for some regression after winning the AFC North and the AFC last season.
The Bengals have the third-hardest strength of schedule in 2022 based on their opponents’ 2021 win percentage at .536.
Here’s a look at who Cincy will play in 2022:
Bengals Opponents, Schedule for 2022 NFL Season
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- Baltimore Ravens
- Cleveland Browns
- Pittsburgh Steelers
- Atlanta Falcons
- Buffalo Bills
- Carolina Panthers
- Kansas City Chiefs
- Miami Dolphins
Away
- Baltimore Ravens
- Cleveland Browns
- Pittsburgh Steelers
- Dallas Cowboys
- New England Patriots
- New Orleans Saints
- New York Jets
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Tennessee Titans
The Bengals will play eight games against teams that made the playoffs last season, and that doesn’t include four division games against the Baltimore Ravens and Cleveland Browns who both should be much better in 2022.
The Ravens will (hopefully) be healthier than they were last season, and the Browns improved at quarterback (although controversially) by trading for Deshaun Watson.
Even though they made the Super Bowl, the Bengals still finished last season with the No. 13 offense and the No. 18 defense. The offseason moves will certainly make them more dangerous, but is it enough to repeat last season’s run?
Bengals’ Odds to Win Super Bowl, AFC
I’m skeptical of that, and the oddsmakers at WynnBET appear to be too.
Cincy is +1800 to win the Super Bowl, which is good for ninth on the odds list and behind the Browns (+1500). As for the team’s odds to win the AFC, the Bengals sit at +950, which is seventh in the entire conference.
The regression appears to be coming, and bettors may be wise to wait before trusting the young Bengals to repeat last season’s playoff performance.
Find Peter Dewey’s full betting record here.