Last season, the Seattle Seahawks won the Super Bowl in their first postseason trip since 2022 and were division champs for the first time since 2020. Could the Cincinnati Bengals do the same and win Super Bowl 61 in their postseason trip since 2022?
NFL.com’s Tom Blair thinks so. Blair picked five teams for NFL.com that could make surprise Super Bowl runs, including the Bengals.
Blair ranked teams on three areas: A Sam Darnold Score, ranking how much a quarterback has to prove, whether or not a team has a dominating unit like Seattle’s defense and having “a Seahawks-ian player on the roster, which is to say, a savvy veteran addition, a breakout-bound development project or a smartly drafted potential rookie contributor.”
Cincinnati Bengals vs. Seattle Seahawks comparison
Quarterback Joe Burrow has nothing to prove in relation to Darnold, according to Blair, and the wide receiver room with Tee Higgins and Ja’Marr Chase, coupled with Burrow, are a dominating force.
The acquisition of defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence from the New York Giants gave the Bengals their veteran building block.
“With a little more help from the defense, Burrow can push them to the front of the pack,” Blair wrote in his conclusion.
The Bengals spent their first two draft picks on defense, taking edge Cashius Howell in round two and cornerback Tacario Davis in the third round.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Could Bengals replicate Seahawks, win Super Bowl 61?
Reporting by Alex Harrison, Cincinnati Enquirer / Cincinnati Enquirer
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
