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2026 Cincinnati Bengals Predictions with Best Bets and Odds to Win the Super Bowl

by Spencer Toth - 8/7/2026

Cincinnati Bengals predictions Tee Higgins

The Cincinnati Bengals will be hoping for a fresh start in 2026 after missing the playoffs in three consecutive seasons with Joe Burrow at the helm. A healthy Burrow and the Bengals offense haven’t been the problem, as it is impossible to win with the 31st-ranked defense on the other side of the ball. Their roller-coaster season was highlighted by back-to-back losses in which the Bengals put up 38 and 42 points, further emphasizing their defensive struggles. Burrow’s season-ending injury in September was certainly a factor, but this team was never going deep with a dreadful defense. The front office will be hoping they finally have the right combination of offense and defense to make another deep playoff run, but will it be enough?

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Cincinnati Bengals Offseason Recap

The Cincinnati Bengals needed a dramatic transformation in the offseason if they wanted to make the most of Joe Burrow’s prime. Burrow is one of the best quarterbacks in the league and has two star receivers in Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins to aim at. However, with nearly 45% of their total salary cap committed to those three stars, the Bengals were forced to get creative in how they bolstered the rest of their roster. 

There wasn’t much movement on offense from the Bengals, with Cincinnati bringing back all 11 starters from last season. Instead, the Bengals dramatically overhauled their defense. 

The biggest headline coming out of Cincinnati was the departure of free agent Trey Hendrickson. The four-time Pro Bowler has put up monstrous sack numbers for the Bengals, amassing 17.5 sacks in both 2023 and 2024. His 2025 campaign was cut short due to injury and was the beginning of the end for the Bengals last season. 

While losing Hendrickson is an impossible hole to fill, the Bengals have new starters in three of their four defensive linemen positions. Dexter Lawrence II was acquired from the New York Giants in exchange for the 10th overall pick in the 2026 draft, and will make an immediate impact up front. Lawrence is a powerful man who is capable of getting to the quarterback, but his best attributes come from being able to stop the run. The Bengals got run through last season, and a strong nose tackle like Lawrence will go a long way. 

Lining up alongside Lawrence is another stellar nose tackle in Jonathan Allen. Allen has been one of the few bright spots in Washington over the last eight seasons before going to Minnesota, routinely finding ways to make an impact despite being routinely double-teamed. Allen can also stop the run, but he is more known for his ability to cause chaos in the trenches. One of Lawrence or Allen will have only one offensive lineman to beat on each snap, which will allow Cincinnati to generate pressure right up the gut. The Bengals also scooped up Boye Mafe from the Seahawks in free agency, who will be a Week 1 starter. Mafe had the benefit of playing around great players in Seattle, and while I am not fully sold on his upside, he is a reliable pass rusher that will still be an upgrade for the Bengals. 

2026 Cincinnati Bengals Season Expectations

The expectation is that a healthy Joe Burrow can win a Super Bowl in Cincinnati. Burrow is certainly capable of leading a potent offense, and now that there are big names on defense, there are no more excuses. 

You would be hard-pressed to find a trio of skill position players as talented as Burrow-Chase-Higgins. Joe Burrow is a perennial MVP candidate, Chase is a two-time first-team All-Pro receiver who won the NFL Triple Crown in 2024, while Higgins would be the clear WR1 on a majority of other NFL teams. Now that the Bengals have a competent offensive line to keep Burrow standing, this offense will once again be a top-tier unit. 

Injuries have derailed the momentum Burrow built early in his career, as the two-time Comeback Player of the Year recipient dropped all the way down to 44th in the league on the Top 100 players list. The fact he hasn’t made the playoffs in three straight seasons, dealt with injuries along the way, and is still inside the top 50 tells you all you need to know about what this man is capable of. During his last full season, Burrow threw for 4,918 passing yards with 43 touchdowns, both of which led the league. He is incredibly accurate with his short, intermediate, and deep throws, and anything within catching range of either Chase or Higgins almost always gets hauled in. 

The rest of the Bengals offense can be mediocre and still succeed with Burrow in the pocket, but they are far from that. Chase is arguably the best receiver in the NFL, while Higgins, forever in his shadow, is an incredibly reliable pass-catcher. Once you add in shifty Chase Brown in the backfield and the reliable Mike Gesicki at tight end, it is no surprise to see this unit near the top of every offensive power rankings. 

That is only one half of the story. Football is a game of two sides, and the Bengals will need their defense to step up. A revamped defensive line will hold its own, but there are still real question marks in the Bengals' secondary. Bryan Cook’s arrival from Kansas City will help, but they also lost veteran linebacker Logan Wilson to retirement. Cincinnati doesn’t need their defense to be the best in the league, as even an average showing will be enough with the talent on offense. 

2026 Cincinnati Bengals Schedule Breakdown

The Bengals are set up to succeed this season with the third-easiest schedule in terms of both 2025 win percentage and projected win totals in 2026. They take on the always struggling NFC South, and the AFC South still has tons of question marks to deal with. The Cleveland Browns are usually two free wins in their division, the Steelers are seemingly in a rebuild (don’t tell that to Aaron Rodgers), while the Ravens are very unpredictable. The Bengals also take a trip to Madrid to take on the Falcons in Week 9, three weeks after their early Week 6 bye. 

2026 Cincinnati Bengals Odds

The Bengals are entering the new year with revitalized hopes and -180 odds to snap their three-year playoff drought. Their win total is set at 10.5 wins with +105 odds on the over, a total Joe Burrow has only eclipsed once in his career. Looking at the AFC North, the Bengals have +180 odds to win the division, trailing the -110 Ravens for the top spot. 

Sticking in the regular season, the Bengals also have big names near the top of the awards odds lists. For the MVP, Burrow has the third-shortest odds at +850 to win the award. Perennial Offensive Player of the Year candidate Ja’Marr Chase is coming in with +1000 odds to win, also the third shortest in the league, while Tee Higgins is at +10000. 

Jumping ahead to the postseason, the Bengals have +2000 odds to win the Super Bowl, which is good for joint-12th in the league with the Broncos and Packers. They are also seventh in the AFC with +1000 odds to win the conference. 

2026 Cincinnati Bengals Season Predictions and Best Bets

The Bengals have clearly underperformed their expectations in recent seasons, but I am calling for that to come to an end in 2026. Joe Burrow has an elite duo at wide receiver, and it appears as though the Bengals have finally invested in their defense. A trio of strong pass rushers will offset the departure of Trey Hendrickson, and a hopefully healthy offense will thrive. It won’t take much for the Bengals to beat up on their easy schedule, and a motivated unit will have plenty to prove.

In terms of how we can attack this team, there are a few promising spots. First of all, I love the Bengals to win the AFC North at +180. The Ravens didn’t have the same injury crisis as Cincinnati, yet they still struggled, and an aging Baltimore core should not be the AFC North favorites. However, I am still very low on the Steelers and Browns chances of pulling off the upset, so we will go for an even bigger payout. There are +375 odds available on the Bengals to win the division and the Ravens to finish second, which is a huge upgrade on the Bengals to win the division straight up. 

For the second bet, we will put a small sprinkle on the Bengals to win the Super Bowl at +2000. This isn’t my favorite Super Bowl pick this season, but it is hard to deny there is value here when they have such a high ceiling. We only need the Bengals to win the Super Bowl 5% of the time for this to be profitable, and I give them a slightly bigger piece of Super Bowl pie heading into the year. 

Finally, this is a long shot, but there are reasons to think Tee Higgins could win Offensive Player of the Year at +10000. All eyes are on Ja’Marr Chase at +1000, but Higgins has emerged as a nearly equal receiver in terms of targets. This Bengals offense will be firing on all cylinders, and a mediocre defense will allow for tons of big stat lines. Furthermore, while you never want to pray for a player's downfall, an injury to Chase opens the door wide open for Higgins. More than 50% of WR1s will miss at least one game due to injury, while 15% will suffer a season-ending injury of some sort. If Higgins explodes with a healthy Chase, or Chase goes down with an injury, this +10000 price tag will instantly plummet. 

Top Pick: AFC North Exacta- Bengals First, Ravens Second +375

Pick: Cincinnati Bengals Super Bowl +2000

Pick: Tee Higgins Offensive Player of the Year +10000

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