New-look Bengals tabbed as threat to Super Bowl race

The Cincinnati Bengals don’t want to be Super Bowl sleepers or underdogs. No, Joe Burrow and the Bengals want to be favorites and in the conversation all year. But…when injuries and a historically bad defense that allowed more than 27 or more points and 350-plus yards in eight straight games is what folks remember from last year, it’s hard to be the favorites.

Case in point, as recently detailed by CBS Sports’ Tyler Sullivan , the Bengals are considered underdogs in the Super Bowl picture for next year. But good news from Sullivan: He tabs the Bengals as one of the longshots with a chance to “shake up the title race” next season. “When you factor in Day 2 draft additions like Texas A&M pass rusher Cashius Howell and Washington cornerback Tacario Davis, Cincinnati has effectively overhauled that side of the ball,” Sullivan wrote.

“And if 2025 first-round edge rusher Shemar Stewart takes a step forward in his sophomore season, they'll really be cooking with gas. Before a well-received draft and the shocking Dexter Lawrence trade, the Bengals threw their weight around at the top of the free-agency market at edge rusher and safety, signing Boye Mafe and Bryan Cook, respectively. The Bengals very much went “all-in” on the defensive side of the ball, moving like they want to be a contender.

And on paper, they should be. In the end, it would be pretty fitting for the Bengals, as a franchise, historically speaking, to embrace the underdog, disreepcted role and compete for the playoffs and more. They already have Burrow, who could drag them on his own.