The Bengals are getting real attention as one of the NFL’s best bets to snap a long title drought in 2026.
In a ranking of the league’s 18 teams with extended championship waits, CBS Sports writer Bryan DeArdo slotted Cincinnati at No. 2, with only the Buffalo Bills ahead of them. The Bills’ last title came in 1965 in the American Football League, before the AFL and NFL merged. Right behind Cincinnati were San Francisco, which last won the Super Bowl in 1994, and Chicago, whose most recent title came in 1985.
Cincinnati’s place near the top makes sense on paper. The Bengals have reached three Super Bowls, falling short twice in the 1980s and once earlier this decade. DeArdo pointed to the core of Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins as the biggest reason for optimism.
"Despite last year's losing record, the Bengals have a relatively good chance of winning their first title in 2026," DeArdo wrote. "A big reason why is the trio of quarterback Joe Burrow and receivers Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins.
"Specifically, Cincinnati's championship odds are significantly higher if Burrow stays healthy. During his three healthy seasons in Cincinnati, Burrow led the Bengals to a Super Bowl and two AFC Championship Games while also winning a passing title and leading the league in touchdown passes. Cincinnati's chances are also buoyed by a defense that received significant upgrades this offseason with the additions of veterans Dexter Lawrence, Jonathan Allen, Boye Mafe and Bryan Cook."
Burrow sounds like a quarterback who welcomes the spotlight. Speaking at his June press conference to close minicamp earlier this month, he made it clear he likes the pressure that comes with big expectations.
"I think that's great," Burrow said in his June press conference about Cincinnati's high expectations. "Puts pressure on guys.
I love it. I thrive in it.
We'll find out who else does. I know that we have the kind of people who want to be in that spot.
I want everybody talking about the Bengals. I want everybody talking about what I'm saying in my press conferences.
"You go back and watch what I've said before. 2019 season at LSU, I feel very similarly about this team. I'm so excited to get started and get moving. I wish we would ramp this right into training camp, so we can continue to improve because I feel like there's so much greatness that we're gonna be able to achieve this year."
The Bengals have also spent to the salary cap and reworked Burrow’s contract as they push toward a Super Bowl run in his age-30 season. Burrow is the league’s most-accurate passer, and Cincinnati’s path will hinge heavily on his health. If he stays on the field, and if the rest of the roster - especially up front - can hold up, the Bengals have a chance to put together their first double-digit win season since 2022 and make a serious run through the AFC.
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Andrew Whitworth Just Weighed In On The Bengals Burrow Debate
Andrew Whitworths take on the Bengals quarterback chatter carried the kind of weight only a former franchise cornerstone can bring. The retired offensive tackle made it clear he sees Cincinnatis identity as already tied to Joe Burrow, pointing to the way the organization has reshaped itself around its quarterback since Burrow arrived and made a much more aggressive push to build a contender.
Whitworth also framed the discussion in a way Bengals fans know all too well: the team has invested heavily, extended key homegrown players and gone after outside help, but the whole plan still turns on Burrow staying on the field. For Cincinnati, that is the real hinge point in any championship conversation, and it is why the latest debate feels less like a roster question than a reminder of how fragile the window can be. [Read more 🡒]
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Allen has already made his own view of the plan known, preferring a workload that keeps him from being overextended after what he felt was too much last season. That meshes with what Cincinnati is building, but it also puts a spotlight on how the snaps will actually be divided once the games start mattering. The Bengals addressed one of their most obvious roster concerns, but the exact answer to who handles the heaviest load inside is still taking shape. [Read more 🡒]
What A Real Year 2 Leap Would Mean For Shemar Stewart
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The path is there, but it is crowded and still unfinished. Stewart is trying to build on a rookie year that produced modest returns, and the Bengals are heading into another season with multiple players in the mix for snaps on the edge, which means every practice rep and every early-season opportunity will count. A meaningful jump would not just help Stewart, it could change the shape of Cincinnatis rotation. [Read more 🡒]