NFL power rankings countdown to training camp: Cincinnati Bengals, No. 27

NFL training camps get going around July 27th and that means and that means we are now less than a month away from a whole lot of NFL news to wallow around in. The good news for the Cincinnati Bengals is that training camp should bring a lot of hope, as they get a healthy Joe Burrow and Joe Mixon back and welcome top wide receiver prospect Ja’Marr Chase to the team.

2020 record

4-11-1, 4th in AFC North

2020 defense

Points: 26.5 points per game, rank 21st
Yards: 6.1 yards per play, rank 21st (tie)
Football Outsiders Ranking: 27th

2020 offense

Points: 19.4 points per game, rank 29th
Yards: 4.9 yards per play, rank 20th
Football Outsiders Ranking: 29th

2021 DraftKings Sportsbook odds

Super Bowl: +10000
AFC/NFC Champion: +5000
DIVISION: +2000
Win Total: 6.5 (Over +118, Under -143)

Offseason moves

The Bengals were in a holding pattern this offseason as they waited for Burrow and Mixon to return from injury. They did let longtime receiving back Gio Bernard go and of course they brought in Chase with their No. 4 overall pick, but getting Burrow back is the biggest move of the offseason. He appears to be right on track and was throwing well at OTAs.

Biggest question entering training camp

The Bengals look fairly set offensively with Burrow, Mixon, Chase, Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd at the key skill positions. The offensive line is a question, but getting Mixon going on the ground would help immensely. Burrow was sacked so often because he dropped back so often last season. The line was below average, but not as awful as their total numbers looked. They added some help this offseason though, grabbing Trevor Lawrences blindside protector Jackson Carman in the second round and proven veteran Riley Reiff in free agency. Seeing how that group comes together and how healthy Mixon is will be key in training camp.

What needs to happen for the Bengals to win the Super Bowl?

There is little hope for a Super Bowl run, especially in the tough AFC North, but there is plenty of upside on this offense. Burrow should be more efficient with a beefed up offensive line, a healthy Mixon and the addition of Chase, giving him three very good wide receivers. The defense is going to lag though, which might help Burrow’s fantasy numbers overall, but wins will still be hard to come by.

2021 Outlook

Hitting their over with seven wins is feasible. They’ll need the defense to show some improvement, but the offense could pick up the slack enough to get that over.