Bengals Named One Of NFL's Most Overrated Teams

 The Bengals are one of the top Super Bowl contenders this coming season by betting odds, but The Athletic's Tony Jones isn't buying it.

He named Cincinnati one of the NFL's overrated teams along with the Lions, 49ers, and Bills.

"Cincinnati boasts a great offensive trio in Joe Burrow and his recently handsomely compensated receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins," Jones wrote. "But winning meaningful games in this league requires a strong defense, and that’s where the questions begin for Cincinnati.

"Things had grown stale under coordinator Lou Anarumo, so the Bengals fired him and replaced him with Al Golden. The team remains at odds, however, with veteran pass rusher Trey Hendrickson and first-round pick Shemar Stewart, who has yet to sign his contract because of concerns about a clause that could void future guarantees. It remains to be seen when/if the Bengals can resolve either matter and position their defense for improvement."

As of this writing, Cincinnati holds consensus 20-1 odds to win the Super Bowl this coming February. That sits eighth in the NFL.

It's hard to say they should have much lower odds than that with the offensive ceiling that we know they can hit and possibly raise with another year dialing in the system.

Defense is much more volatile than offense in the NFL, and it's not crazy to think Cincinnati can field the 20th to 24th best defense this fall and give the offense more than enough chances to win 10-plus games. The Bengals feel properly rated in the odds market after being slightly inflated each of the past two seasons.