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American Football Conference · AFC North
The Cincinnati Bengals were founded in 1967 and play their home games at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio. Owned by Mike Brown with Duke Tobin serving as general manager, the franchise has experienced dramatic swings in fortune over the past decade and a half. After a 12–4 campaign in 2015, the Bengals endured several losing seasons, bottoming out at 2–14 in 2019. The turnaround came swiftly: by 2021, Cincinnati reached the Super Bowl with a 10–7 record, followed by a 12–4 playoff season in 2022. Under head coach Zac Taylor, the roster features quarterback Joe Burrow alongside veteran Joe Flacco, with playmakers Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins leading the receiving corps. Recent seasons have settled into middling territory—back-to-back 9–8 finishes in 2023 and 2024, then a 6–11 record in 2025.
The 200 most recent checkable claims, from 78 pundits · 200 settled, averaging 58 out of 100.
The seasons we hold results for, 2009 to 2026.
| Season | Record | Finish |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 1–0 | — |
| 2025 | 6–11 | — |
| 2024 | 9–8 | — |
| 2023 | 9–8 | — |
| 2022 | 12–4 | Made the playoffs |
| 2021 | 10–7 | Reached the Super Bowl |
| 2020 | 4–11–1 | — |
| 2019 | 2–14 | — |
| 2018 | 6–10 | — |
| 2017 | 7–9 | — |
Each pundit’s standing lean on Cincinnati Bengals, measured against every other pundit who made a comparable call — same kind of claim, same season. +100 would mean the most bullish voice in every room; −100 the most bearish. At least two articles per pundit before a lean is shown, and the accuracy is how that pundit’s settled calls about this team have graded out.
more bullish than 95% of the room, across 2 articles · 15.0 accuracy on this team (2 settled)
more bullish than 95% of the room, across 2 articles · 15.0 accuracy on this team (2 settled)
Page 2 of 5 — unsettled claims first, then the settled ones, newest first.
“Backups: Cody Ford, Connor Lew, Brian Parker II, Jalen Rivers”
| 2016 |
|---|
| 6–9–1 |
| — |
| 2015 | 12–4 | Made the playoffs |
|---|
| 2010 | 4–12 | — |
|---|
| 2009 | 10–6 | Made the playoffs |
|---|
more bullish than 94% of the room, across 2 articles · 0.0 accuracy on this team (2 settled)
more bearish than 100% of the room, across 3 articles · 86.1 accuracy on this team (3 settled)
more bearish than 95% of the room, across 3 articles · on this team not settled yet
more bearish than 94% of the room, across 2 articles · on this team not settled yet
“Backups: Samaje Perine, Tahj Brooks”
“Backups: Colbie Young, Mitch Tinsley, Dohnte Meyers”
“Backups: Tacario Davis, Ja’Sir Taylor, DJ Ivey IV”
“Backups: Colbie Young, Mitch Tinsley, Dohnte Meyers”
“Backups: Erick All Jr., Tanner Hudson, Jack Endries”
“Backups: Shemar Stewart, B.J. Hill, Cashius Howell, T.J. Slaton Jr., Kris Jenkins Jr., Landon Robinson”
“Backups: Erick All Jr., Tanner Hudson, Jack Endries”
“The tape doesn’t lie, and neither do the reps. That means Ivey is a lock to make the 53-man roster for the fourth consecutive season.”
“Burrow going up against Cleveland... Cleveland fifth best against quarterbacks”
“That's gonna be a mirage... I wouldn't get too excited and try to stick him in some lineups in the playoffs.”
“Hopefully he stays in round three... had to call out Chase Brown here... Zach Moss released, so the only competition is gonna be TODJ. Brooks”
“He's currently what wide receiver thirteen... but now I've got him ranked as a low end wide receiver one. He's my wide receiver twelve, number twenty four overall... here's why t Higgins has such vast upside and why I think you should proactively draft him.”
“if that's where he goes he's gonna be a big bust this coming year because people are expecting RB one production if they are rafting Chase Brown.”
“The guy I want to talk about who I also have in a tier above is Chase Brown... that's the guy I am circling as the person that I want to get”
“to get that guy in the start of round three, end of round two, I want him all day, every day”
“I'm going with Chase and Sidney Brown... Chase Brown is the running back for the Cincinnati Bengals... both being breakout players next year.”
“The player who benefits the most from Mixon leaving is Chase Brown... Look for the Bengals to ramp up his workload in Year 2 and make him a regular part of the offense.”
“And the Bengals they're losing Trey Hendrickson to free agency or he's going to test free agency... if you're looking to replace Trey Hendrickson and you're trying to find life after Trey Hendrickson, which is what the Bengals are going to try to do”
“And Trey Hendrickson's gonna be gunning for, I I believe, Joe Flacco week one in Cleveland. And they'll all have their new deals”
“I will be floored if they don't sign Trey Hendrickson ... Hendrickson will be in Cincinnati”
“I believe that this will get done, Rich. K. I believe it'll end up being a multiyear extension just because I don't think that they wanna do a one year extension.”
“Trey Henderson, it's hard to see. I think he plays, but not before he sets out the first half to get that of credited season.”
“I know Trey he wants to be in Cincinnati... So I think Trade's going to come back”
“the question is how well will former left tackle Jonah Williams fare on the right side?”
“I I don't think they're gonna win, but I think he's gonna get it.”
“Twenty seven twenty four Cincinnati beats the stumbling Ravens.”
“I gotta work the game in Baltimore... The Bengals Ravens game... But we finna win that game, Anna, and I're fin the talk track because I'm gonna be face to face with all the Ravens players.”
“I will give you guys a division if we lose to the Steelers, which I doubt we do.”
“I think we have a good chance at competing and beating the Steelers.”
“It's not calling a Cleveland win. I just don't think Cincinnati is gonna dominate the game”
“twenty one to seventeen Cincinnati is a pretty likely outcome for this game”
“So I'll go Bengals nineteen seventeen or some crazy score”
“I've got them winning the AFC North at thirteen and four, beating out Baltimore at twelve and five”
“In the AFC North, I've got the Bengals winning the division.”
“I do have Cincinnati a top of the AFC North.”
“I've got the Bengals in the North”
“I got Cincinnati into AFC, Buffalo, Houston and the Chargers as ... the division champion”
“so you know, we'll see I like Cleveland to cover, like the Bengals to win”
“takes the Bengals to the top of the AF seed”