Last season was something of a fluke for the Cincinnati Bengals. Despite having one of the most talented rosters in the NFL, they failed to make the playoffs. That's not likely to happen in 2024 — as long as Joe Burrow can stay healthy.
Burrow had a pair of injuries last season. He suffered a calf injury in training camp that played a key role in the team's slow start, and then he suffered wrist injury that knocked him out for the final seven games of the season.
The Bengals finished 9-8 as they lost in Weeks 16 and 17 to the Pittsburgh Steelers and Kansas City Chiefs. Those defeats left the Bengals on the outside of the playoff structure looking in.
While the Bengals appear to be fairly healthy as they get set to open the season with a home game against the beleaguered New England Patriots in Week 1, another old bugaboo is impacting the Bengals.
Superstar wideout Ja'Marr Chase has been battling for a new contract throughout training camp and defensive end Trey Hendrickson would also like a new deal. The Bengals appeared to shake their reputation as a team that was hesitant to hand out big-money contracts when they paid Burrow (five years, $275 million), but neither Chase nor Hendrickson had a new deal as of Sept. 1.
That could reportedly change for Chase at any time, but Hendrickson may have to wait to get a new deal.
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However, if money issues don't fracture the locker room — and there's no evidence of that happening at this point — the Bengals may have the best chance of keeping the Kansas City Chiefs from defending their position as the best team in the AFC.
Joe Burrow and Ja'Marr Chase will help Bengals light up the scoreboard
Burrow does not have all the unorthodox passing skills that Patrick Mahomes brings to the Chiefs, but he is one of the best quarterbacks in the league when healthy.
Burrow has demonstrated that he has the vision, accuracy, arm strength and poise to make the key throws when the game is on the line. He also is an excellent athlete who will make big plays with his legs.
Burrow is likely to be pumped up for a comeback season. He has already won one Comeback Player of the Year Award in 2021, when he rebounded from his rookie season to complete a league-leading 70.4 percent of his passes while throwing for 4,611 yards with a 34-14 touchdown to interception ratio. He also led the league that season with an average of 8.9 yards per attempt.
The Bengals got to the Super Bowl that season where they were narrowly defeated by the Los Angeles Rams. Burrow followed with another brilliant season in 2022 as he threw for 4,475 yards along with a 35-12 TD-interception ratio.
Prior to suffering the wrist injury, Burrow completed 244 of 365 passes for 2,309 yards with 15 TDS and 6 interceptions last year.
Chase is Burrow's long-time teammate, as the two won a national championship at LSU before moving on to the NFL. Chase would like his salary to exceed that of their former LSU teammate Justin Jefferson. It's difficult to separate those two wideouts in terms of ability.
Chase is clearly elite and he is coming off a season in which he caught 100 passes for 1,216 yards and 7 touchdowns. If Burrow can stay healthy, it would not be out of line to suggest that Chase could exceed 1,600 receiving yards.
The Bengals will have one of the top five offensive teams in the league in 2024.
Defense must improve for Bengals in 2024
Trey Hendrickson requested a trade from the Bengals slightly before the draft, but the Bengals did not adhere to his request.
There was no reason to do just that because he is coming off a season with 17.5 sacks. Hendrickson has two years remaining on a contract that has a cap hit of slightly more than $20.1 million this season and slightly less than $18.7 million next year.
He is the best player on the defense and the Bengals need him to dominate again in 2024. Defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo has clearly built the Cincinnati defense around Hendrickson.
The Bengals are hoping to get a lift from Sheldon Rankins and Sam Hubbard on the defensive line so Hendrickson does not have to provide all the pass rush pressure himself.
Logan Wilson and Germaine Pratt are both key factors at the linebacker position.. Wilson had a career-best 135 tackles and 4 interceptions in 2023, while Pratt had 118 tackles last season. Both Wilson and Pratt stayed healthy last year and played in all 17 games.
Former Ravens Geno Stone steps in at free safety, and he could provide the energy and thrust that is needed in the secondary.
This unit ranked 31st a year ago in yards allowed, but they will climb in the rankings and make it inside the top 16, ensuring the Bengals earn a spot in the playoffs this season
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