The Cincinnati Bengals will begin the 2025 NFL season with, once again, one of the most explosive offenses in the league.
Quarterback Joe Burrow is an annual MVP candidate, and his tandem of wide receivers -- Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins -- is arguably the best duo in the NFL.
It's why the Bengals have also been one of the biggest disappointments in the league over the last few years. The defense hasn't done its job. They ranked as one of the worst overall units in the NFL in 2024 and tarnished what was a career year for Burrow, who threw for 4,918 yards and 43 touchdowns.
Yet, Cincinnati didn't make the playoffs, finishing 9-8 and in third place in the AFC North. Yikes.
And it's that kind of season, if repeated in 2025, that was recently dubbed the Bengals' potential nightmare scenario this year.
"A third straight non-playoff season despite all of that offensive talent would be a travesty for the Bengals and their extremely well-paid core," Bleacher Report's Brad Gagnon wrote.
That extremely well-paid core starts with Burrow (five years, $275 million), extends to Chase (four years, $161 million), and concludes with Higgins (four years, $115 million).
The one player the Bengals have yet to award a new contract to is Trey Hendrickson, who might ultimately be the most important piece in Cincinnati's attempt to become a perennial playoff contender. If they lose their top defender from an already shaky defense, well, that won't bode well for an uptick in defensive production.
For Burrow to win that MVP, and for the Bengals to make a deep playoff run, they'll need a defensive performance that ranks better than their 25th in points allowed and 25th in total yards allowed last season.
Otherwise, the Cincinnati Bengals' 2025 nightmare will be deja vu all over again.
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