The Cincinnati Bengals were seen as a team that was just good enough to make it to the playoffs every season but was never able to win once they reached that point. The Bengals front office began to tinker with the team to try to turn them into playoff winners and ended up with their worst record in years, winning only six games last year and finishing behind the Steelers and Ravens. Now, the 2017 Nfl Season will need to see the Bengals bounce back if they want to save head coach Marvin Lewis’ job and try to finally succeed in the postseason. With the NFL training camps starting this week, here is a look at the 2017 Cincinnati Bengals preview.
Bengals offensive breakdown
The Cincinnati Bengals are led by Andy Dalton, a quarterback who has a lot of success on the field statistically but seems to be unable to win the big games that the team needs to take that next step. Dalton, in 2016, had the second-most yards passing in his career and the lowest interception percentage. What is amazing is that he did this while getting sacked 41 times, meaning that the Bengals Offensive Line has to improve drastically for the team to have a chance in 2017.
One problem with the Cincinnati Bengals is that their two running backs – Jeremy Hill and Giovani Bernard – have been hit-and-miss and neither has played consistently well from year to year. This season, both men might lose the hold on the running back role that they shared.
Oklahoma Sooners’ running back Joe Mixon is in town and he has the talent to take over the starting job and become a major NFL star.
The top receiver is still A.J. Green but he has to stay healthy – something he has not done in a few years. In 2016, it was more of the same when Green tore his hamstring and ruined his chance to finish with six consecutive 1,000-yard receiving seasons, which would have been a record for a player starting his NFL career.
Green has to rebound from that injury if Dalton wants to find more success in the passing game. Cincinnati hopes that John Ross, one of the fastest players in the 2017 NFL Draft, will be ready for a major role this year.
Bengals defensive breakdown
The Cincinnati Bengals played well on defense last year and almost all the starters are back for the 2017 NFL season.
The team only gave up an average of 15.3 points-per-game in the final half of the season and that is the play they need to make it back to the postseason once again. However, the Bengals finished in 19th for sacks and 18th for turnovers and those numbers need to improve.
Bengals 2017 NFL prediction
The Cincinnati Bengals were one of the top contenders in the AFC when it comes to regular season play for many years but they fell off the map in 2016. If the Bengals want to get back to the playoffs in the 2017 NFL season, they need better play from their offensive line and more big impact plays from their defense. The Bengals will compete with the Baltimore Ravens for second place in the AFC North this year and have the talent to make it back to the Wild Card round again.
