Cris Collinsworth picks Bengals to win the Super Bowl for first time ever
Former Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Cris Collinsworth has played in two Super Bowls for the Bengals. He's even called a Super Bowl that they played in. But according to the player-turned-analyst and owner of Pro Football Focus, he had never picked the team to ever win the big game. Until now. Collinsworth made the rounds this […]
Former Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Cris Collinsworth has played in two Super Bowls for the Bengals. He's even called a Super Bowl that they played in. But according to the player-turned-analyst and owner of Pro Football Focus, he had never picked the team to ever win the big game. Until now.
Collinsworth made the rounds this week on the Dan Patrick Show and Good Morning Football and made his prediction official. Collinsworth believes the Bengals will win the Super Bowl this season, and his reasoning starts with the quarterback.
"I'm picking the Cincinnati Bengals for the first time in my entire life," Collinsworth said on GMFB. "I think that Joe Burrow is too good to, at this point, not have a ring on his finger. Let's put a ring on it. Let's go! He's been too good. Look at the skill positions around this guy. I mean Ja'Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, Tyler Boyd, Joe Mixon, which team still position players would you rather have?"
Collinsworth is arguably the most famous person to ever play for the Bengals because of what he's done after football. He's been the analyst on NBC's Sunday Night Football for nearly two decades, and bought a majority interest in PFF back in 2014. He's one of the iconic voices in the game, and his roots stemmed from playing eight years in Cincinnati.
While Collinsworth has been in NFL media for a while, the Bengals have only been true Super Bowl candidates for the past two years. His opportunities to objectively predict them to go the distance have been few and far between.
Something that hasn't changed over the years has been the tenacity of the AFC North. The Bengals have won their division in each of the last two years, and simply being a part of the group gives them an edge, according to Collinsworth.
"One of the reasons that I like them so much is that they play in the AFC North. This is, in my opinion, the toughest division and all football. So while they may not even win the North, the Bengals may not, but by the time you slug your way through that division, you're battle tested. You're ready."
Collinsworth inadvertently brought up a good point as well. No team has ever won the AFC North for three consecutive years. The Bengals doing so would create the easiest path back to the Super Bowl, but it's a pretty substantial first roadblock to get through.
It all starts on September 10 when the Bengals open the season against the Cleveland Browns.
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Featured image via © Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
