Then and Now: Who’s the Bengals’ Toughest Competition?

With all teams in the process of acquiring and trading players, it is interesting to speculate who will be the Cincinnati Bengals’ toughest competition this upcoming season.

But first, let’s recap two tough teams that the Bengals had to face last season.

Kansas City Chiefs

The Chiefs are one of the toughest teams in the NFL, but the Bengals have always held up pretty well against them. When these two teams go up against one another, it is always sure to be a close, nail-biting game. Joe Burrow holds an impressive record against Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs, and surely every Bengals fan remembers the moment when the Bengals became Super Bowl bound when the field goal by kicker Evan McPherson was good in overtime back in 2021. Despite the 2022 NFL season not ending the way the Who Dey Nation would have wanted, the Bengals have proven that they can handle the Chiefs. Plus, offensive tackle Orlando Brown Jr. is now on our side!

Cleveland Browns

Burrow’s record against the Browns (1-4) is not as good as his record against the Chiefs. Unfortunately, the Cleveland Browns are a team that the Bengals have struggled against. Just last season the score on Halloween was 32-13. But the Bengals were able to win against them in that same season in December (23-10), finally ending this streak.

Now, let’s think outside the box as to who could be tough opponents for the Bengals next season.

Carolina Panthers

Okay, hear me out on this one. While they may not be the team that comes to mind automatically, this team now houses former Bengals tight end Hayden Hurst and safety Vonn Bell; two solid, talented players. Not to mention, the Carolina Panthers get the first pick in the upcoming NFL draft; this team could come out of nowhere, and maybe face the Bengals one day. Burrow is 1-0 against this team currently.

San Francisco 49ers

Like the Bengals, the 49ers are a good, solid team. Brock Purdy and Burrow are both young, talented quarterbacks that have accomplished so much already; this would certainly be an interesting matchup. Even if Purdy does not start/play right away next season, the 49ers still have a solid running back in Christian McCaffrey. We, on the other hand, just lost one of our running backs, Samaje Perine, to the Broncos. Perine was solid and consistent, so the 49ers could be an interesting matchup down the road. Burrow is 0-1 against this team, and many thought that these two would meet in the Super Bowl last season.

Despite the talent of other teams, it’s clear that the Bengals have what it takes to win, soar, and roar.