CINCINNATI — In just under two weeks, the Cincinnati Bengals will kick off the 2026 regular season when they host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Paycor Stadium.
Few seasons in recent memory have carried as much importance for the franchise.
After missing the playoffs three consecutive years during Burrow Prime, the Bengals enter 2026 with lofty expectations. The front office spent the offseason aggressively reshaping the defense, while Burrow appears to have adopted an entirely different leadership style. Jamar Chase nicknamed him "Angry Joe." Burrow calls it urgency.
Whatever you choose to call it, this feels like a team that understands the time is now.
With that in mind, here are my three predictions for the 2026 Cincinnati Bengals.
1. Joe Burrow Wins NFL MVP
Let us take a collective breath and say this before we go on: All of this hinges on Joe Burrow staying healthy. If he does, I believe he'll win his first NFL Most Valuable Player Award.
At this stage of his career, there is nothing Joe Burrow hasn’t seen. He has all the answers to the test. Experience has become one of his greatest strengths, and now he's surrounded by arguably the deepest collection of pass catchers of his career. Ja'Marr Chase remains one of the league's elite receivers, Tee Higgins continues to be one of football's best No. 2 options, and Cincinnati has quietly built a deep room through free agency, the draft, and player development.
Just as important, Burrow appears to be approaching this season differently.
He's become more demanding of teammates, more vocal in the huddle, and more willing to challenge those around him. Great quarterbacks don't simply elevate their own play—they elevate everyone else's.
If Burrow remains healthy for 17 games, don't just expect another outstanding season.
Expect an MVP season.
2. The Bengals' Defense Will Struggle Early, Then Become One of the NFL's Best
This prediction probably won't be popular in September.
The Bengals invested heavily in rebuilding a defense that simply wasn't good enough last season. New faces, new responsibilities, and a new defensive identity rarely come together overnight, regardless of talent.
Expect growing pains.
There will be blown assignments. There will be frustrating Sundays. Fans will lose their minds. Prognosticators will talk ish. And we will all wonder if the investments made in the offseason were worth it.
Don't overreact.
Building a championship defense takes time, particularly when so many new pieces are learning to play together.
The turning point will come after the bye week. By then, the defense will have several regular-season games together, plenty of film to study, and a week to catch their breath.
From that point forward, I expect the unit to improve steadily, much as it did late last season—but with one significant difference.
This year's defense possesses considerably more talent.
Because of additions like Dexter Lawrence II, Jonathan Allen, Boye Mafe, Bryan Cook, and Cashius Howell, the defense will struggle for fewer games than it did last year, and I believe that once they figure it out, the ceiling is higher than it has ever been.
Bonus Prediction: The Bengals finish the season as a Top 10 run defense and produce multiple goal-line stands that become defining moments of their year.
3. The Bengals Win Super Bowl LXI
Yes, I'm predicting it.
The Cincinnati Bengals will win the first Super Bowl in franchise history.
There is simply a different feeling surrounding this football team.
Joe Cool has evolved into Angry Joe—a quarterback who appears unwilling to accept anything less than a championship. The front office responded by surrounding him with one of the most complete rosters of the Burrow era.
The offense has the firepower to score on anyone, at any time.
The defense has been infused with proven veterans and young talent.
Special teams appear positioned to become one of the league's strengths once again, with Evan McPherson looking like the Money Mac Bengals fans fell in love with during the team's Super Bowl run and Ryan Rehkow continuing to demonstrate one of the biggest legs in football.
Most importantly, this team believes. This, of course, guarantees nothing.
The NFL has a way of humbling even the most talented teams. Injuries happen. Close games bounce the wrong direction. One bad afternoon can end an otherwise remarkable season.
But if this roster stays reasonably healthy, I believe we’ll see the Bengals face the Los Angeles Rams in a rematch of Super Bowl LVI.
This time, however, the script will be flipped, and we'll have images of Joe Burrow smoking a cigar as confetti rains down dancing in our heads for the rest of our lives.