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The Cincinnati Bengals struggled in the 2023 season, miraculously winning 9 games while finishing above .500 despite the loss of QB Joe Burrow to a season-ending wrist injury due to a torn ligament. Can the Bengals rise above the rest of the AFC North, and take advantage of an easy last-place schedule to re-emerge as a contender?
Coach Zac Taylor kept the team competitive with QB Jake Browning under center. RB Zack Moss was brought in to help returning RBs Chase Brown and Trayveon Williams, as the RB Joe Mixon era is over in the Queen City.
The Bengals didn’t make a lot of splashes in free agency, and really, everything hinges on the wrist of Burrow. He has to be back to his pre-injury form, or at least close to it, if Cincinnati wants to challenge for the Super Bowl again. There is cautious optimism in Cincinnati that will happen in 2024.
Below, we look at the Cincinnati Bengals’ 2024 NFL Super Bowl odds from FanDuel Sportsbook along with projected win total, playoff, conference and division odds as we make our best NFL picks and predictions.
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2024 Cincinnati Bengals schedule
| WK | DATE | OPPONENT | TIME |
| All times ET | |||
| 1 | Sept. 8 | vs. Patriots | 1 p.m. |
| 2 | Sept. 15 | at Chiefs | 4:25 p.m. |
| 3 | Sept. 23 (M) | vs. Commanders | 8:15 p.m. |
| 4 | Sept. 29 | at Panthers | 1 p.m. |
| 5 | Oct. 6 | vs. Ravens | 1 p.m. |
| 6 | Oct. 13 | at Giants | 1 p.m. |
| 7 | Oct. 20 | at Browns | 1 p.m. |
| 8 | Oct. 27 | vs. Eagles | 4:25 p.m. |
| 9 | Nov. 3 | vs. Raiders | 1 p.m. |
| 10 | Nov. 7 (Th) | at Ravens | 8:15 p.m. |
| 11 | Nov. 17 | at Chargers | 4:25 p.m. |
| 12 | BYE WEEK | ||
| 13 | Dec. 1 | vs. Steelers | 1 p.m. |
| 14 | Dec. 9 (M) | at Cowboys | 8:15 p.m. |
| 15 | Dec. 15 | at Titans | 1 p.m. |
| 16 | Dec. 19 (Th) | vs. Browns | 8:15 p.m. |
| 17 | Dec. 28 or 29 | vs. Broncos | TBD |
| 18 | Jan. 4 or 5 | at Steelers | TBD |
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Bengals over/under win total
Odds provided by FanDuel Sportsbook – last updated May 20 at 10:04 p.m. ET; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list.
- 10.5 wins: (Over: -134 | Under: +110)
According to the Sharp Football Analysis, which based its calculations off the Vegas Forecasted Win Totals, the Bengals have the 6th-easiest schedule in the NFL. Their implied line of 10.6 is tied for the 4th-highest in the NFL, and right in line with the projections of the sportsbooks.
The Bengals managed to win 9 games last season despite missing their star QB for a huge portion of the season. Browning held down the fort in place of Burrow, and kept the team afloat.
While Cincinnati was above .500, as was everyone else in the AFC North, the Bengals were in the basement of the division. As such, it plays a 4th-place schedule, and gets a crack at some of the dregs of the league. It’s an advantageous spot to be.
Assuming there are no setbacks with Burrow’s wrist, and he regains full mobility, expect Cincinnati to get off to a quick start. The Bengals have some early challenges, including a trip to Kansas City, and a visit from division champ Baltimore before the leaves have fully turned. And back-to-back late October games with a trip to Cleveland, and home game against Philadelphia, is certainly no picnic.
However, Cincinnati will fatten up with some mediocre teams coming into Paycor Stadium, especially early on. The road schedule in November and December, though, is particularly daunting. This team has double-digit win potential, but 11 or more is a little ambitious.
Go UNDER 10.5 (+110), as plus-money is certainly tempting. Cincinnati isn’t going to be bad, per se, but this isn’t a team likely to win 11 or 12 games, challenging for home-field advantage, either.
Bengals Super Bowl odds
- +1300 (bet $100 to win $1,300)
The Bengals have the tools to be a legitimate contender, but so do a lot of teams, and those other clubs have a lot fewer questions.
Cincinnati is tied with the Buffalo Bills and Detroit Lions for the 4th-shortest odds to win it all. The San Francisco 49ers (+550) are the favorites, followed by the Kansas City Chiefs (+600) and Baltimore Ravens (+950).
At +1300, Cincinnati has an implied probability of winning the Super Bowl of 7.14% or 13/1 fractional odds.
The Carolina Panthers have the longest odds in the NFL at +30000, while the New England Patriots have the longest odds in the AFC at +18000.
The Bengals and their potential bettors have to hope Burrow’s wrist is sound. They also have to hope Moss is a viable replacement for Mixon, while Cincinnati gambles on WR Trenton Irwin to step up and replace departed productive veteran WR Tyler Boyd.
I personally do not view the Bengals in the same light as the Bills, Chiefs and/or Ravens, and think their odds could be a little longer. If you were to be able to get the Bengals at +2000 or so, then yes, they’d be a value. But at the current price, it’s a PASS for me.
Will Bengals make the playoffs?
- Yes -235 | No +186
Again, Taylor did a tremendous job last season with the hand he was dealt, especially since there was a re-shuffle midway through the campaign with Burrow to Browning due to injury.
Cincinnati faces a very favorable early part of the schedule, and it should get off to a good start, but late-season trips against AFC contenders Baltimore, LA Chargers, Pittsburgh and Tennessee will do no favors to their playoff aspirations, nor will a Monday night in December in Dallas.
Like the Super Bowl odds above, it’s not that the Bengals won’t make the playoffs. It certainly can happen. But at this current price, there is just no value tying up a bunch of money for the long haul, risking nearly 2 1/2 times your potential return. The reward is so insignificant unless you’re willing to risk thousands of dollars. Most bettors aren’t in that business.
PASS, and hope the price comes down to the range of -175 to -190, then jump on it.
Odds to win AFC North Division
- Ravens +140 (bet $100 to win $140)
- Bengals +170 (bet $100 to win $170)
- Browns +500 (bet $100 to win $500)
- Steelers +650 (bet $100 to win $650)
Cincinnati’s implied probability of winning the AFC North is 37.04% or 17/10 fractional odds. The Ravens are expected to win the division, but the Bengals are a close 2nd.
The Bengals have their fingers (and toes) crossed that Burrow will regain full mobility, and will be his pre-injury self. He is one of the top QBs in the league, and the face of the franchise. If he has any kind of a setback, it would derail the season, and it will be a fight just to make the postseason again.
Cincinnati has slightly lower odds than Baltimore to win the AFC North, but the schedule is much easier. As long as the Bengals can record a winning record inside the division, the title is very possible.
Like the other areas above, the price could be a little nicer, but at plus-money, Cincinnati is worth roll of the dice. BENGALS (+170) isn’t a terrible play.
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Bengals odds to win AFC
- +700 (bet $100 to win $700)
The Bengals are tied with the Buffalo Bills for the 3rd-shortest odds to make the Super Bowl. Remember, they just have to make it, not win it, and the Bengals are good at that. They’ve been to the Super Bowl 3 times, but never won the whole ball of wax thanks to the Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers.
Cincinnati has an elite-level QB, 2 stud WRs Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, and what they hope is a serviceable backfield. They also added TE Mike Gesicki to bolster the red-zone offense.
The offense for the Bengals is fine. Losing Boyd and Mixon, a couple of veterans, will mean a little bit of transition, but Cincinnati should still be able to roll up plenty of points.
The Bengals ranked 31st last season with 374.6 total yards allowed, according to covers.com, while coughing up 248.4 passing yards per game, and 22.6 PPG. Even if Burrow is back to 100 percent, if the defense isn’t markedly better, this team isn’t going to go far in the playoffs, should they qualify.
PASS, as, again, I don’t think the Bengals are in the same class as the Bills, Chiefs and/or Ravens. Cincinnati could surprise one of them in the playoffs, but not all of them.
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