ArmyBengal

Remainder of the AFC: New England will be interesting to see what they do against a first place schedule this year. I also liked their draft. They should be in the mix again this year. Buffalo has Allen and will be in the mix because of him alone. Hated their free agency and ok draft. That being said, I expect them to be within striking distance of New England. Jacksonville bled talent in free agency and I hated their draft. They will not be the same team in 2026. Houston will be much what they were last year. Great defense and taking over the AFC South again. I really liked their free agent additions on both sides of the ball. This is a true contender. Denver is another fun team to watch with Bo Nix, but they didn't do much of anything in free agency or the draft. The addition of Waddle to the offense can't be viewed as a negative and think they are right there as well. The Chargers and Herbert are pretty solid as well and don't think that's going to change. They had some decent additions in free agency and the draft. And last but not least, the Chiefs... They great unknown with Mahomes and his knee, but I don't really think he's the biggest story for them in 2026. For me, it's them needing to reload the defense. The secondary was damn near gutted in free agency. They added Mansoor Delane (a Bengals favorite for projections) and a 4th round safety. I loved the addition of Kenneth Walker at RB for them and if Mahomes is 100% they could be interesting. For me, those are the teams that stack up in the AFC Conference as true contenders. Those teams are really solid in my opinion with some elite defenses mixed in. Two AFC teams that I'm interested in seeing what 2026 brings them are the Jets and Raiders. The Jets bringing back Geno Smith would be a feel good story. I actually like that roster. The Raiders and Mendoza at QB along with some other additions will be fun. Even if the Bengals have the magical season many are projecting for them, this is tough sledding. I cannot recall an upcoming football season where I have been looking so forward to it starting.

I hadn't really given much thought to the other teams and what they have done to this point. Let's take a look... AFC North: Baltimore- I don't think overlooking the Ravens is ever wise with Lamar and they had a down year last year. Their o-line is going to look different and of course they added Trey to the defense, which should help them some. I wasn't a big fan of their draft either, which is different. Pittsburgh- I think this team is going to feel some growing pains with new coaching, but the defense is solid. Rodgers is certainly over the hill, but he didn't have an abysmal year last season. Decent draft, but they also lost some starters from last season in free agency. Cleveland- They better hope Jared Verse is fucking All World... I have heard the talk of the Bengals having the most stability with the only team having the same coach return, but from my perspective I don't know that's really such an advantage. It's not like the other teams in the division added unknowns as head coaches either. I think it's about fit. If they fit what those the players well on those teams, this division could be a lot closer than what I keep hearing. I'm VERY optimistic with the upcoming season with what I see on paper and the current health status of the Bengals. Even with the head coaching changes with the other teams and all the hype surrounding the Bengals, I expect this to be one of the best divisions in the league in 2026. It's not like the other teams hired some no body to come be the head coach of their teams. I'm not sure being the only team that didn't change head coaches gives us that much of an advantage. Cincinnati- 13-4 Baltimore- 12-5 Pittsburgh- 11-6 Cleveland- 4-13

Nothing like spreading that kind of joy around...

Is that the place where they are all a bunch of old swingers and STD's are rampant? If so, that's a pass for me.

To the plus, you can be almost anywhere in a bar and manage. Numerous 70+ year old people? Not really my thing for a bar setting, but again.... "Bar" Folk songs? Sure, I guess "Bar" is still the potential silver lining here, but one rendition of Puff the Magic Dragon and I might start throwing walkers at people. Fuck you grandpa, don't make me break your hip.

I like All. I hate both of his brittle, undependable knees.

Verse has proven to be a solid player, so that was a good thing for them THIS year. 3 picks aren't a bad haul either, but they are spaced out over the next three years. I don't like the spread of picks personally. A 1st in 2027 A 2nd in 2028 A 3rd in 2029 Since the Browns restructured Watson's contract, he either will still be on the roster in 2027 or the Browns will be on the hook for an ass load of dead cap dollars. It's the single worst contract in the NFL and will continue to haunt them for seasons to come. Yes, Burrow has yet ANOTHER reason to be super motivated this year.

It’s really like the movie Draft Day happening for real and it’s the Browns. ”You sold a cow for magic beans”

Priceless !!

Thanks Browns !! Oh no, you suck again !!

He fell out of favor because he sucked ass. Personally I have never cared for him as a player. Depth at best and that’s questionable.

Big bag of suck

Atkins is still my dude. God he made it fun to watch the Bengals defense. If it were up to me, it would be Fulcher and Atkins. They were both simply dominant at their positions. I won't argue if it's not them however. Many are worthy.

There sure is a lot of hype surrounding the Bengals this year. They are (as of now) favored in 15 of the 17 games with the exception of road games in Houston and Baltimore. Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy the team looks to be headed in the right direction and has made some bold moves to get better. I want to get all caught up in the hype. Go buy tickets, get a bunch of gear and jerseys. Then it hits me… We are still hoping and praying it’s enough. There are doubts for sure. Was Mafe a good signing? How much better has the secondary gotten? Is the faith in Knight and Carter appropriate or totally misplaced? Im pretty confident in what the offense is going to be if everyone stays healthy. Hell, it might be an MVP season for Burrow if all goes well. Either way around, I’m excited about the season and looking forward to week 1. Happy is good !! Just don’t crush my spirit week 1 Bengals.

Yeah, it's easy to forget how long Andy was here. Easier when thinking of how many playoff games he played in here and how many wins he produced in those games.