NFL.com lists Bengals as 4th-most likely team to supplant Chiefs

What do you think? Too low? Too high?

The Cincinnati Bengals are entering the 2024 season with high hopes of being the AFC team that derails the Kansas City Chiefs‘ run at a third consecutive Super Bowl.

After two consecutive trips to the AFC Championship game and one Super Bowl, the Bengals had some bad injury luck in 2023, when franchise quarterback Joe Burrow was hobbled by a calf strain and a wrist injury, the latter requiring surgery.

NFL.com’s Jeffri Chadiha ranked the top seven teams most likely to end the Chiefs’ run, and the Bengals came in at No. 4, right behind the 49ers, Ravens, and Lions.

“…..Things will look a lot different around this franchise if Burrow can stay healthy this fall, primarily because Cincinnati is the only team in the league that has proven to be a consistent pain in the butt for the Chiefs,” Chadiha wrote. “The Bengals beak Kansas City in the 2021 AFC Championship Game, and nearly achieved the same feat a season later. Cincinnati also has won three of the four games that Burrow has started against the Chiefs. That breeds a certain level of confidence that won’t deteriorate with a season as frustrating as last year. The Bengals clearly wanted to ensure Burrow’s safety this offseason because they signed Trent Brown to play right tackle while also selecting OT Marius Mims in the first round of the draft.”

Chadiha continued with the additions the Bengals made on defense by signing safeties Geno Stone and bringing Vonn Bell back. With the addition of Sheldon Rankins, Kris Jenkins and McKinnley Jackson to the defensive line, the team’s interior pass rush and, hopefully, the run defense improves as well.

The one hitch in the Bengals’ giddy up, according to Chadiha, is team chemistry, considering the recent trade requests from Tee Higgins and Trey Hendrickson.

“The more pressing questions around the Bengals actually revolve around chemistry,” he wrote. “Both wide receiver Tee Higgins and defensive end Trey Hendrickson have requested trades, and it’s hard to know how their contractual gripes will impact a team that has been known for its cohesiveness.”

While Higgins has yet to sign his franchise tender, it’s not out of the ordinary for players on the franchise tag to report only when it’s necessary, and right now, it’s not necessary. Hendrickson, on the other hand, has put all fears to bed by showing up and declaring he’s ready to bring a Super Bowl to Cincinnati.

The three teams behind the Bengals on the list are the Eagles, Bills, and Texans.

What do you think? Are the Bengals in the right spot on this list, or too high or low? Sound off!