One would think the Cincinnati Bengals are in the conversation for the top spot when talking the NFL’s top trios.
After all, we’re talking about Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins.
But apparently that’s not a given.
Over at Sports Illustrated, Matt Verderame ranked the league’s top trios and put the Bengals all the way down at sixth overall. As a disclaimer, though, he’s yanking out Higgins and putting in running back Chase Brown.
“Cincinnati is going to score points, and Chase is going to play at an All-Pro level,” Verderame wrote. “This has been true for every year of his career, which has seen him rack up more than 6,800 yards in five seasons. In Brown, the Bengals have a tough runner who has averaged more than 1,000 rushing yards over the past two years. Of course, the question is Burrow, who won the passing title in 2024, but has played only 18 games in the two bookend years. If he’s on the field, Cincinnati’s offense will be elite.”
But when talking the Bengals, any trio chatter has to be Burrow-Chase-Higgins.
Brown isn’t much of a weak point of a trio, either. He’s enjoyed steady progression into a lead-back role and some of his big production came when Burrow wasn’t even on the field.
As always, the Bengals have to prove it when the games matter. That means Burrow healthy before anything else. But the upside of a trio that can reach the No. 1 spot, even with Brown slotted in over Higgins, is pretty undeniable.
This article originally appeared on Bengals Wire: Bengals slightly disrespected in unique new rankings
Reporting by Chris Roling, Bengals Wire / Bengals Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Chris Roling, Bengals Wire | USA TODAY Network
