Cris Collinsworth picks Joe Burrow and the Bengals to win Super Bowl LVIII

“My pick to win the Super Bowl, even though it’s stupid to say it, is the Bengals.”

Thank you, Cris Collinsworth, for saying what Cincinnati Bengals fans have been dying to hear. Someone in the national media believes, even if it is a former standout player himself.

Collinsworth was a three-time Pro-Bowler and three-time second-team All-Pro for the Bengals who spent his entire eight-year NFL career in Cincinnati. He is currently a television sportscaster for NBC, Showtime, and the NFL Network, winner of 17 Sports Emmy Awards, and the majority owner of Pro Football Focus.

Not that it is going to be easy. Other teams, like the Eagles, Cowboys, and 49ers over in the NFC, have a much clearer path to the Super Bowl.

“In the AFC, you’ve got to slug your way,” Collinsworth said. “Just to get out of the AFC North is going to be hard for Cincinnati. That’s legit, up and down.”

But the Bengals have something the rest of these teams don’t have - No. 9.

“This is a really tough conference, but Joe Burrow walks into this season healthy for the first time,” Collinsworth said. “Full practice, full ability to get this thing going right off the bat.”

Cincinnati got off to a slow start in each of the past two seasons, and much of that was attributable to the fact that Burrow missed time in camp, coming off a knee injury in 2021 and battling appendicitis in 2022. But the Bengals ended up in the Super Bowl after the 2021 season and came within moments of a repeat appearance last year.

Now, with a healthy Burrow, an improved offensive line, one of the best receiving groups in the league, and a top-notch defense, maybe it truly is Cincinnati’s time to shine.