Cincinnati Bengals 2025 Win Total: What Do People See In This Team?

Look, I get it, Joe Burrow throws a pretty spiral, and Ja’Marr Chase can make defensive backs look like they’re running in quicksand for the Cincinnati Bengals. The betting markets have Cincinnati’s win total set at 9.5 games, and honestly? That number feels about as inflated as Jerry Jones’ ego and Mike Brown’s cheapness. This is a team that managed nine wins last season while their defense played with all the intensity of a DMV employee on a Friday afternoon.

The Defense Remains a Disaster

Let’s talk about the elephant in the room, or should I say the sieve masquerading as a defense. Last season, the Bengals finished 27th in DVOA on the defensive side of the ball. That’s not “needs improvement” territory; that’s “maybe we should consider forfeiting” bad.

Here’s the kicker: Cincinnati managed those nine wins while playing the third-easiest schedule of opposing offenses in 2024. When you’re getting torched by bottom-tier attacks, what exactly do you think is going to happen when you face legitimate offensive firepower?

The Bengals’ defensive strategy last season seemed to be “pray the other team gets bored and stops trying.” When they allowed 29 or fewer points, they went 9-2. When they didn’t? A perfect 0-6 record that tells you everything you need to know about this team’s ceiling.

The Schedule Reality Check

Speaking of schedules, Cincinnati’s 2025 slate isn’t exactly a cakewalk. They’re facing the 14th-hardest set of opposing offenses based on last year’s DVOA ratings. That’s a significant jump from their cushy 2024 schedule, and this defense is about as prepared for that challenge as a paper umbrella is for a hurricane. The Bengals will face nine games against teams that had winning records last season. Five of those teams won 12 or more games. Meanwhile, Cincinnati’s defense couldn’t stop a nosebleed if they tried.

The Injury Luck Won’t Last & They Have No Depth

Here’s something that should terrify Bengals fans: their offense stayed remarkably healthy last season. Of their 34.5 adjusted games lost to injury on offense, most came along the offensive line. Chase, Higgins, and Burrow all stayed healthy last season. In the NFL, health is often random and it doesn’t help that this team has zero depth on offense at all. At least Chase Brown will get more snaps with Zack Moss getting released.

The AFC North Reality