Bengals viewed as long shots to make NFL playoffs

It wasn’t that long ago when the Bengals were making five straight trips to the playoffs. But after how the last three years have gone, it feels like ages ago when Cincinnati was last competing in the postseason.

Might that change in 2020 under first-year head coach Zac Taylor?

The oddsmakers don’t seem to think so.

The latest odds from Caesars Palace (via Bleacher Report) have the Bengals getting the third-worst odds to make the playoffs, ahead of only the Dolphins and Cardinals.

Despite having one of the NFL’s ‘easier’ schedules, no one outside of Cincinnati seems to think this is a team capable of making the playoffs next season.

On one hand, Cincinnati still has several of the key players who carried this team to five straight playoff trips, including A.J. Green, Geno Atkins, Andy Dalton and Carlos Dunlap, not to mention promising young talents like Joe Mixon, Jessie Bates, William Jackson, Tyler Boyd and Sam Hubbard.

However, there’s always going to be doubts when you’ve got a first-time head coach (Zac Taylor), a first-time offensive coordinator (Brian Callahan) and a first-time defensive coordinator (Lou Anarumo). The offensive line and linebackers are also major question marks that could turn into crippling weaknesses again.

At the end of the day, taking the ‘prove it’ approach with this team is the best way to go. The Bengals have a lot of potential, but they need to prove they’re capable of harnessing it before we start talking about playoff contention.

Do you think the Bengals will make the playoffs this coming season?