Playoffs or bust for Bengals after 2015 collapse

Make no mistake, the Cincinnati Bengals haven’t forgotten the bitter ending to their once promising 2015 season.

The Bengals were staring down their first playoff victory since 1990 late in fourth quarter against their rival Pittsburgh Steelers in the wild card round. However, an unnecessary roughness penalty on Bengals linebacker Vontaze Burifict after an incomplete pass moved the Steelers into field goal territory with less than half a minute to play. But, instead of the Steelers trying a 49-yard kick for the win, cornerback Adam Jones was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct in the chaos that ensued after Burfict’s penalty. The Steelers completed the field goal and advanced.

Despite calls for his firing, head coach Marvin Lewis is with the 14^th consecutive season. Now, he’s under heavy pressure to give the Bengals not just a playoff berth, but a win.

While Lewis will have quarterback Andy Dalton back this season (the quarterback missed the team’s playoff game), the Bengals offence lacks the same talent it’s featured in recent years.

*College stats

While the team’s backfield remains intact with the dangerous duo of Jeremy Hill and Giovani Bernard, Dalton will miss wide receivers Marvin Jones and Mohamed Sanu, both of whom earned significant paydays in free agency.  Brandon LaFell was added in free agency and the team used their second round pick on Tyler Boyd, but neither are expected to be able to pick up the slack left behind by Jones and Sanu.

A.J. Green, who has reached the Pro Bowl in each of his first five NFL seasons, could be in for his largest workload to date. The 6’4 wide out is the unquestioned No. 1 receiver in the Bengals and will likely see a new high in targets as Dalton builds a rapport with the new additions.

Expect Green to be especially busy until tight end Tyler Eifert returns from off-season ankle surgery. Eifert’s return is expected to come sometime in the first month of the season, but a Thursday night game in Week 4 could delay his 2016 debut until October. Once Eifert returns, he will also be a beneficiary off the team’s free agent loses and could emerge among the league’s premier tight ends – provided he can stay healthy.

The off-season changes for the Bengals offence also extend to sideline. After excelling under the play calling of Hue Jackson for the past two years, Andy Dalton will have a new voice in his ear after Jackson took the head coaching gig in Cleveland. Paul Zampese, Dalton’s quarterback coach for the past five seasons, has been elevated to offensive coordinator and will look to keep the Bengals among the league’s top 10 scoring offences.

Though the Bengals have plenty of question marks on how to replace production on offence, the pieces remaining intact are enough to make them a competitive unit. On defence, the team remains a force to be reckoned with despite the losses of Terence Newman and Reggie Nelson. The Bengals enter the season as a playoff favourite and should contend for the AFC North crown with the Steelers once again. Yet, the question for the Bengals is no longer if they can make the playoffs, but can they win a game once they’re there?

Key Notes

Missing man: The Bengals will be without Burfict for the first three games of the season as he serves a suspension for his hit on Antonio Brown in the playoffs. Vincent Rey will fill the gap at weakside linebacker until he returns.

Redshirt season? First-round pick William Jackson III is in danger of missing his rookie season after tearing his pectoral muscle in training camp. The highly touted corner could make a return late in the season if the Bengals place him on injured reserve with designation to return.

Third-down back: While Hill and Bernard were almost equal in rushing yards last season (794 to 730), Bernard posted 472 receiving yards to Hill’s 79. With Dalton short on reliable weapons to open the season, the 24-year-old Bernard should see plenty of targets.