Sports Illustrated's Connor Orr Makes Trio of Bold Bengals Predictions Ahead of 2023 NFL Season

The Bengals have arguably the highest expectations in franchise history.

CINCINNATI — The Bengals have high expectations heading into next season and Sports Illustrated's Connor Orr sees them mirroring the 2022 Chiefs in his bold predictions.

Orr picked the Bengals to win the Super Bowl over San Francisco and Joe Burrow to be NFL MVP. Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs pulled off the same feat last season.

"I realize, as one of the supreme mushes of our time, that I have an ability to make it a near certainty these teams will not reach the Super Bowl," Orr joked. "So it was my initial plan just to put two teams I absolutely wouldn’t want to see there (say, oh, I don’t know, two random teams like the Browns and the Commanders) as my Super Bowl contenders. Alas, that wouldn’t make for a very good prediction post, and, at some point, every blind squirrel finds an acorn. The Bengals and the 49ers have, by my estimation, the two rosters that best embody the hallmark of a Super Bowl team: talent and depth at almost every position. The 49ers have enough options at the quarterback position to make sure they aren’t stuck in the title game with Christian McCaffrey in the Wildcat. Deebo Samuel believed this team was better than the Eagles last year, and, even after Philadelphia’s superb draft, I agree that the 49ers have just as strong of a roster."

Mahomes' achievement made him the seventh quarterback in NFL history to take home NFL MVP and Super Bowl MVP honors in the same season.

Kurt Warner did it most recently in 1999 with the Rams. Brett Favre (1996), Steve Young (1994), Joe Montana (1989), Terry Bradshaw (1978), and Bart Starr (1966) also pulled off the rare feat.

"En route to a second Super Bowl appearance in three years, Burrow’s greatness will finally be recognized by the voters," Orr wrote. "He will throw for 40 touchdowns and lead the Bengals to a 13-win season. Buoyed by his contract extension, which will come in at a $55 million average per year, Burrow will start working his way into statue territory in Cincinnati."

He would be the third Bengal to win MVP, joining Ken Anderson (1981) and Boomer Esiason (1988).

Orr also thinks Ja'Marr Chase will be the NFL Offensive Player of the Year.

"If you think about it, this award has such a narrow scope," Orr wrote. "At the beginning of any season, someone could reasonably assume that anyone on offense could win this award. But really, it’s a select list of offensive players whose functioning is essential to the system, who can put up a large enough statistical sample size to impress voters. That leaves Chase, Justin Jefferson (who we may assume will see a slight decline in production given the addition of another first-round pick at the position, and defenses generally being sick of getting demolished by him), Cooper Kupp, Christian McCaffrey, Derrick Henry, and a small handful of others. Given that we are projecting Burrow’s production to continue skyward, so, too, will Chase’s."

Ken Anderson (1981) is the only Bengal to win NFL OPOY.

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