Joe Burrow and the Bengals are heading into the 2026 NFL season as one of the league’s most watchable teams, according to ESPN’s Ben Solak.
In Solak’s ranking of all 32 teams, Cincinnati landed at No. 7 overall, putting the Bengals among the most compelling weekly draws in the league. The top seven, in order, were the Bears, Rams, Lions, Chargers, Patriots, Cowboys and Bengals.
Solak pointed to the stakes in Cincinnati as a big part of the appeal.
"You know what's fun to watch? High stakes.
And stakes are higher nowhere else than in Cincinnati this season," Solak noted. "Doesn't every single game feel like a referendum on something or somebody in Cincinnati?
Will every loss come with questions about the internal relationships of coach Zac Taylor, quarterback Joe Burrow, and Bengals ownership? Won't every win come with a sigh of relief and validation that the Bengals are finally healthy, balanced, and ready to win it all?
"The defense does need to be better, though. Bad defense can improve watchability rankings (read: create shootouts), but terrible defense is so repugnant that I end up clicking away in disgust. The Bengals started to round that critical corner last season, and in the early weeks of the season, I'll be glued to the tube to see whether Dexter Lawrence II looks as healthy and impactful as they need him to be."
Burrow, who is soon to turn 30, has made it clear the time for waiting is over.
"We have to step up and make something happen this year," Burrow said earlier in training camp. "We're working really hard for it.
The urgency is very high in the locker room. You can feel it.
It's palpable. As I said, we have to be more consistent on offense.
Our standard is so high, but it's so high because of what we've done and what we can do, and so I'm going to continue to push that, and we're going to keep getting better and see where we're at Week 1. But I'm so excited for it."
Cincinnati was the highest-ranked AFC North team on Solak’s list, ahead of Baltimore at No. 12, Pittsburgh at No. 26 and Cleveland at No.
- Solak’s reaction to the Browns was a blunt, "No, thank you".
If the Bengals take care of business in their six division games, they could wind up running away with the AFC North.
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There is still plenty around the edges for Cincinnati to sort out, from Joe Giles-Harris special-teams role to the way Trey Hendricksons contract situation continues to influence the teams draft-pick outlook. And while Burrow has stayed pointed toward the bigger picture, the Bengals are also dealing with the kind of roster-building decisions that feed larger expectations, including the familiar chatter about whether this group can turn those assumptions into something real. [Read more 🡒]
Bengals May Be Fast-Tracking Joe Burrows Next Big Protection Test
The Bengals have been using practice to work through a quiet but important part of their offensive future, putting rookie center Connor Lew across from defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence to sharpen the rookies game. Lew is still coming back from a torn ACL, but the team views him as a possible long-term successor to Ted Karras, which makes every rep part of a bigger evaluation for Cincinnatis offensive line plans.
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JaMarr Chase Just Gave Bengals Fans A New Off-Field Reason To Care
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The rollout also gives Cincinnati-area shoppers a local tie-in, with exclusive items set aside for the Kenwood, Ohio location. For a player whose influence already stretches well beyond Sundays, the latest collection is another reminder that Chases presence around the franchise keeps growing in ways that have nothing to do with the scoreboard. [Read more 🡒]