Sports Illustrated Has Bengals Replacing Division Rival in AFC Playoffs

Cincinnati fans would love this.

Diontae Johnson had 51 receptions for 717 yards and five touchdowns for the Steelers during the 2023 season. / Kareem Elgazzar / USA TODAY NETWORK

CINCINNATI — The Bengals had to watch in-state rival Cleveland make the playoffs last season while they watched at home, but Sports Illustrated's Connor Orr sees that flipping this coming January.

He has Cincinnati booting out Cleveland from the 2025 NFL playoffs.

"For the Bengals, just like the Jets, having a team that was competitive and scrappy in the absence of its star quarterback is a tantalizing prospect and makes them an easy candidate for a rebound season," Orr wrote. "I saw some ESPN pundits arguing that Burrow could have a similar arc to Carson Wentz, with a complete change in perception occurring right after a trip to the Super Bowl. I’d disagree, given that the Bengals’ offense is Burrow. He runs it like Peyton Manning. 

"He may have more control over the particulars of his offense than any of the young quarterbacks currently dominating the landscape. And, Wentz’s problems weren’t really injury-related as much as they were an accumulation of bad habits and an increasing number of teams preparing for an offense that featured the kind of RPO game Wentz was good at. Burrow’s injury luck has not been great, but his ceiling as a player is infinitely higher than Wentz’s ever was. The Bengals are a Super Bowl contender every year he steps on the field at peak health."

The Bengals have won the AFC North in both NFL seasons that Burrow's finished so far.

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