Bengals stick out like a sore thumb for the right reasons when looking at next year's Super Bowl odds
The 60th Super Bowl will be played in exactly 362 days. The NFL landscape can change in any of the 31,276,800 seconds from now until then, but we have a decent idea regarding which teams are likely to be the last one standing following the 2025 season. Initial betting odds from BetMGM have 12 teams […]
The 60th Super Bowl will be played in exactly 362 days. The NFL landscape can change in any of the 31,276,800 seconds from now until then, but we have a decent idea regarding which teams are likely to be the last one standing following the 2025 season.
Initial betting odds from BetMGM have 12 teams that made the playoffs this past year amongst 14 clubs with the best odds at hoisting the Lombardi Trophy next year in Santa Clara.
The Cincinnati Bengals are also in that group of 14, despite watching last month's postseason bracket play out from their couches.
As SI Bengals Talk's Jay Morrison points out, the Bengals have better Super Bowl 60 odds than seven clubs that made the playoffs. They're only behind the Philadelphia Eagles, Baltimore Ravens, Buffalo Bills, Kansas City Chiefs, Detroit Lions, and San Francisco 49ers—the latter being the only other top-14 team that didn't make the playoffs this past season.
Locating where the confidence in the Bengals is derived from isn't tough. Joe Burrow finished fourth in MVP voting despite not winning enough games to make a championship run in January. He led the league in passing yards and passing touchdowns after spending the offseason recovering from wrist surgery. He's also won five of the seven postseason games he's started, which doesn't hurt one bit.
Add on the fact that All-Pros Ja'Marr Chase and Trey Hendrickson are still under contract, and the Bengals have the elite pieces to put together something special. It's simply a matter of figuring out the rest of the roster.
While the 49ers finished a lowly 6-11 and were eliminated from postseason contention before Christmas Day, the Bengals at least finished above .500 at 9-8 and were in the hunt until the very last day of the regular season. The sports book has pegged both teams as the most likely to at least make the postseason next year after missing out this year.
Four teams made the playoffs this year after falling short in 2023. The average is usually around five new playoff teams per year, so 2024 was a bit on the low side.
Cincinnati has not played in a playoff game in two years. The drought can go on for so long before Burrow, Chase, and Hendrickson's collective reputation isn't enough to inspire faith from oddsmakers.
For now, just like last year, the benefit of the doubt still very much exists.
Bengals’ worst loss of the 2024 season looks a little better following a lopsided Super Bowl LIX outcome
Cincinnati ran into the kings before the kings were crowned.
