The Year Ahead: What Other Fanbases Think of the 2017 Cincinnati Bengals
I went through the Offseason Review series over on r/NFL, and looked at what all our 2017 opponents are predicting for their games against us. Here's the list:
| Week | Opponent | Prediction | What they're saying |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | BAL | W, 24-20 | This is a very tough Week 1 matchup for us. The Bengals have had our number for quite some time now and they're gonna be fired up after a tough year last year. I know we stepped up the secondary but I see Joe Mixon having a good debut against our young and inexperienced D-Line and AJ Green always hurts us, especially with John Ross's crazy speed causing problems. Ravens lose opener on a late TD. |
| 2 | HOU | L, 17-20 | A game that will rely heavily on defense due to the short week. Watch AJ Green and DeAndre Hopkins do their magic as this game will change leads at irregular moments and leave you with an unsatisfied feeling that lives up to most Thursday Night Football games. |
| 3 | GB | L | Rebound game where we come out firing and win by double digits. |
| 4 | CLE | L, 21-28 | Here it is. The Bengals come into town and this will be the Browns shot at their first win. Most Browns will be upset with the 0-3 start but those first 3 games are extremely tough for a team trying to gel. The Bengals lost some significant players along the OL and their defense is just another year older. If Joe Haden is healthy he almost always matches well against AJ Green (IDK why). Peppers who has been quiet so far will blow up. He will have a few TFLs, a INT and a forced fumble. Dalton's OL will not help him and Hill will be trying to dodge defenders in the backfield. Williams’ knows the Bengals OL is young and new so he will bring the heat all game. Crow will have another big game but it will be the tight ends who will be the game changers. Njoku and DeValve will feast on the LBs and safeties combining for 150+ yards and 2 TDs. . |
| 5 | BUF | 70.4% L | Another team that slumped last year. I hear Rex Ryan is available if Mike Brown wants to bite the bullet and own up to whatever blackmail Marv Lewis has on him. I’m kidding, I’m kidding. Never count out a team with AJ Green. If there is one game on this schedule that I’d change from a W to a L it would probably be this one. |
| 7 | PIT | L | The Bengals are one of the teams that I have a hard time predicting this year. Even though I think they got better, i'm not sure how much better. They lost two starters on the offensive line. They may have the worst offensive line in football now. And Dalton was already being demolished. I want to see the Bengals get back to their 2015 form before I say they beat the Steelers at home. |
| 8 | IND | L, 17-24 | Last time we played the Bengals we shut them out. This time their offense should be more explosive, but I think we still have what it takes to pull off a win here. |
| 9 | JAX | W | Long write-up here |
| 10 | TEN | L | The Bengals have lost a whole lot of talent this offseason, notably along their offensive line in good players like Whitworth and Zeitler. They added some good talent like John Ross, but I’m not sure if it’ll be enough to really make up for a lack in protection for Dalton. The Bengals hit a bit of a downward trend last season record-wise, and I think that may continue this year. I’m taking Titans on this one. |
| 11 | DEN | L, 17-34 | Ring of Fame game! On this day, the Broncos will induct Red Miller into the Broncos Ring of Fame. Miller was with the team from 1977-1980 and lead the Broncos to Super Bowl 12. The Broncos are 3-0 in the last three seasons on the Ring of Fame induction game. This trend will likely continue as the Bengals have taken a step back in the offseason and the Broncos have marginally improved. This game likely won’t be a contest for long |
| 12 | CLE | W, 31-21 | The Bengals get their revenge. The Browns will be going against a revitalized offense with an offensive line that has settled in. AJ Green will get the best of the secondary this week putting up an excellent performance. The Browns won't be able to keep up with this offense that is firing on all cylinders. |
| 13 | PIT | L | I'm still convinced that Prime Time Dalton is a thing. If this game was during the day, I would be more inclined to give them the win. But that factor is enough to cover the difference until I see otherwise. |
| 14 | CHI | L by 10 points | The Bengals won't be good next season. There, I said it. They lost two good offensive linemen, and have a quarterback that tends to wilt under pressure. If the Bears' pass rush is healthy and effective, I'm not sure that the Bengals will be able to put up enough offense to win the game. This strikes me as a game when one of the stable of wide receivers puts on a performance that makes clear to Bears fans why Ryan Pace should be staying around. Which receiver, though? I have no idea. |
| 15 | MIN | 55% L | Mike Zimmer returns and plays his previous team, the Bengals. They have an awesome array of weapons on offense now, but in my mind lack the line to actually use them. A serious candidate for worst offensive line in the league, I don't expect the Bengals to perform exceptionally well on offense in 2017. |
| 16 | DET | L | This should be a close game and might be one of the more even matchups of the season. The Lions match up well against the Bengals and A.J. Green against Darius Slay could be one of the best individual matchups of the season. |
| 17 | BAL | L, 16-27 | The Ravens need to win this game to win the division with the Steelers already being a game behind after losing Week 15 to the Pats and the Bengals being tied with us going into this game. I see the D being much more prepared than they were in Week 1. The Ravens hold the cats in line and win semi-easilly at home to win the division. |
Overall predicted record: 3-13
Posted Aug 14, 2017, 7:30 PM UTC · edited
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