04-26-2022, 10:14 AM
(04-26-2022, 08:46 AM)Sled21 Wrote: 1) We had the 6th hardest schedule last year. This year is a division winner's schedule, but last year wasn't exactly easy.
2) True
3) Right now, there isn't much anyone can do to shut Chase down. If they double him all the time, Burrow will just kill them with Higgins and Boyd. We have the gold standard at WR 1-3 plus a premiere Running Back. Chase will have another huge year.
4) So did the Bengals. The Steelers are having a QB competition between Rudolph and Trubisky. I expect Mitchell to win. Color me unimpressed. The Browns will always Brown regardless of who they have, the Factory of Sadness got that name for a reason, they are the epitome of dysfunction. Lou has figured out how to shut down Lamar, and in reality I think Lamar is on the decline (and I'm a big fan of his)
5) Only team that really concerns me there is the Bills.
The Bengals had the easiest schedule in the league last year. The 6th hardest schedule argument comes from opponent records, but Cincinnati played a wide range of mediocre teams. For instance, in order to fully believe that argument, you have to truly believe that the Steelers were a playoff team. They played...
Chicago (#7 OA)
New York Jets (#4 OA)
Jacksonville (#1 OA)
Detroit (#2 OA)
Vikings
Ravens x2
Steelers x2
Browns x2
Denver
The Bengals were very fortunate with their schedule last year. They had an easy schedule with minimal injuries. The Ravens are a good team, if healthy, but they were crushed by injuries last season. The Bengals didn't even play Lamar Jackson in their final game. The Browns would have been a good team, if they didn't have bad QB play. The same for the Steelers. It's hard to predict injuries, but if the Ravens can stay healthy and Watson is what he is, then Baltimore and Cleveland are already significantly better than last season. I would say that the Bengals are as well, but I digress.
The Bengals did not have a difficult schedule last year - they just played a bunch of mediocre teams that inflated their opponent W/L record.
