The 2025 Bengals Fell Short but The 2026 Bengals Don’t Have To

Chris Ball, The Loveland Sports Guy

This past Sunday Myles Garrett and the Cleveland Browns put to bed one of the most frustrating seasons Cincinnati Bengals fans have seen in the Joe Burrow era.

It was a season to forget for many, and it’s hard to blame them. A record of 6-11 and yet another winter watching the playoffs from their couches in a year when the AFC North was as winnable as it’s ever been. A defense that looked, at times, to be the league’s worst in the past several decades. And yet another significant injury to Joe Burrow that derailed another promising campaign.

But there were plenty of bright moments as well. Cincinnati traded for a 40-year-old Joe Flacco (within the division, mind you) who helped do all he could to make them competitive. Joe Burrow made yet another triumphant return from a freak injury and showed he is one of the toughest players in the football world. Chase Brown emerged as a versatile and dynamic running back that can further supplement an already potent offense. The offensive line took a major step forward in its protection and run blocking.

And stars Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins were as amazing as advertised.

The 2025 season was full of disappointment that is for sure. But it was interspersed with seeds of hope that 2026 could be better and that a return to the playoffs, if not more, could be in the cards for the Cincinnati Bengals. With that in mind let’s take a look back at the pain that was our 2025 season and what the future might hold for those that wear the Orange and Black.

Dark 2025 lead to a brighter 2026?

A HOT START OUT OF THE GATE BUT AT A HIGH COST

Going into 2025 the dig on the Bengals was their notoriously slow starts. Prior to this year, under coach Zac Taylor, the Bengals had a horrendous record of 1-11 in the first two weeks of the season and 4-13-1 through the first three weeks.

Joe Burrow took specific measures to address this weakness. He went out of his way to play significant snaps in the Bengals preseason games, as did other starters, with the express purpose of bucking the trend of the many early season losses this team suffered. And that hard work paid off.

In a 17-16-week one win over the Cleveland Browns Jordan Battle had two second half interceptions as the Bengals defense led the way as Burrow and the offense struggled to get going. Cincinnati moved to 2-0 the following week with a win over the Jacksonville Jaguars, but it was a game that changed the trajectory of the entire season.

Just twenty minutes into the second game of the 2025 season Joe Burrow was sacked and went down grimacing in pain against the Jacksonville Jaguars. When he limped off the field it seemed like all the hopes of Cincinnati had fallen into a deep dark hole.

But inexplicably, Jake Browning once again entered and saved the day. Overall, it was a rollercoaster of an outing as he had three total touchdowns but also tossed three picks.

In the end he managed to score on a one-yard sneak with 18 seconds left to propel the Bengals to a 2-0 start.

That was all tempered by the fact that soon after, Burrow underwent surgery for a grade three turf toe injury, and was expected to miss at least three months. It was just the latest in a cavalcade of devastating injuries for the Bengals quarterback that included a knee injury his rookie year, a calf strain in 2023, and a torn ligament in his wrist in 2024.

Unfortunately, Browning was unable to replicate his past success as Burrow’s

replacement. Though he almost led Cincinnati to the playoffs in 2023 after Joe went down, he went 0-3 as the Bengals starter this season. He thew for just 172 yards per game to go with four touchdowns and five interceptions in lopsided losses to the Vikings, Broncos, and Lions. They were outscored 113-37 and it was clearly time for a change at the quarterback position.

ENTER JOE FLACCO

Trades between division rivals are almost unheard of in today’s NFL. But that was just what happened to bring veteran quarterback Joe Flacco to Cincinnati. In early October the Bengals finally pulled the trigger on a trade that included a swap of day 3 2026 draft picks along with an exchange of other picks to acquire Flacco.

At the time the 40-year-old hadn’t exactly been turning heads with his performances. He started the first four games in Cleveland, completing just 58.1% of his passes for 815 yards with two touchdowns, but also six picks. The Browns had already benched him in

favor of Dylan Gabriel.

And yet, the veteran did experience something of a renaissance after a change of

scenery. Yes, he was only 1-5 as the starter, but he absolutely did his part to keep this team in the playoff hunt. He managed to throw for over 270 yards per game with 13 touchdowns and just four interceptions. He put in some of the most impressive performances of the season but was yet again undone by an awful Bengals defense, which gave up a staggering 204 points during those six games. Flacco played injured and without knowing the full playbook and still gave fans a hope that Jake Browning simply could never muster.

Unfortunately the reoccurring theme all year was the continued futility of the defense. It was supposed to be fixed when Lou Anarumo was fired last offseason and Al Golden was brought on. But the fix was not nearly that easy. At one point Golden’s unit was allowing over 400 yards of total offense per game. They missed tackles at an alarming rate, they got virtually no pressure on the quarterback and looked simply uninterested in stopping anyone at the point of attack.

But even a defense as epically inept as Cincinnati’s could perhaps find the fortitude to improve if only, they found a spark to rally around.

THE KNIGHT IN SHINING ARMOR RETURNS

Joe Burrow should have been out of the lineup until Christmas. But just weeks after his surgery he told his doctors to pound sand, cut off his own cast, and began rehabbing to get back on the field far ahead of all medical projections. In the era of “diva” and “overpaid” quarterbacks, this man put a carbon plate in his cleat and forced his way back into the starting lineup. And he did it for a team that was all but eliminated from playoff contention. Then he continued to play even after they were eliminated. When he was asked why, his response was simple: “I just want to play ball. That's all I want to do.”

And all he did was once again lead this team with excellence and poise no matter the odds. After his early rerun from injury on November 27th he completed 68% of his passes for 1,620 yards, 15 touchdowns and just five interceptions. Apart from a clunker against Baltimore in December, and against the Browns’ elite defense in the finale, Burrow and his receivers looked as though they had been on the field all season together as they racked up the yards and points.

Apart from the obvious superstars, Chase Brown showed the most promise on the offensive side of the ball. He amassed 1,456 total yards of offense, including over 1,000 yards rushing. Brown scored 11 total touchdowns, six on the ground and five receiving.

If he continues to build on his dynamic ability in his third year in 2026 this offense is going to be almost impossible to stop, if healthy.

WHAT THE FUTURE HOLDS FOR 2026

"Our focus is on building a team that can consistently compete at the highest level, with the goal of winning championships," Brown said in a statement released hours after the Bengals finished the season. "After thoughtful consideration, I am confident that Duke Tobin and Zac Taylor are the right leaders to guide us forward. They have proven they can build and lead teams that compete for championships. We trust their plans and expect to return to our desired level of success."

Many Bengals fans simply don’t share that sort of confidence or optimism.

Taylor has a 52-63-1 record over the course of seven seasons. With any other franchise that would likely be enough to be shown the door (Pete Carroll was just fired after a single season coaching the Raiders). But the Bengals are simply built differently.

They have always been reluctant to fire head coaches that are under contract. Marvin Lewis lasted 16 years at the helm of the Bengals and it took a run of 6-9-1, 7-9, and 6-10 finishes to end his tenure after the 2018 season. He finished with a hard fought 131-122-1 record, but was 0-7 in the playoffs. And it is perhaps his past playoff success that Zac Taylor has had that makes his leash in Cincinnati a bit longer than it would otherwise be. That, combined with the fact that he still has the strong endorsement of stars like Burrow, Chase, and Tee Higgins has saved his job for at least 2026. The same is true for Duke Tobin, whose close relationship with the Brown family makes him untouchable in the near future.

But there are lifelines for the Bengals if only they can reach out and grab them. They currently have the tenth overall pick in the upcoming draft. There are several impact players that could be available at that spot, including Ohio State safety Caleb Downs, Miami Hurricanes edge Rueben Bain Jr. and Texas Tech edge David Bailey, among others. These are players that could make an immediate week one impact for this team and perhaps even help to solve the issues that have plagued the unit for so long. Whether it is Downs’ overall athleticism or Bain’s nonstop motor while rushing the passer, these college players all possess attributes that will make a difference for the Orange and Black.

Whether it is Downs’ overall athleticism or Bain’s nonstop motor while rushing the passer, these college players all possess attributes that will make a difference for the Orange and Black.

And let’s not forget that the Bengals have actually shown some success in making solid draft picks at positions of need. Both Amarius Mims at tackle and Dylan Fairchild at guard have stabilized the offensive line and played extremely well in their young careers thus far. Myles Murphy looks finally ready to break through and be the team’s top pass rusher after his constant improvement in 2025. According to PFF he finished with 38 quarterback pressure this season, good for 49^th out of 114 edge rushers. He more than doubled his rate of quarterback hits as compared to last season and his 5.5 sacks was a career high.

And there aren’t just opportunities in the upcoming draft. According to Over The Cap the Bengals have nearly $70 million dollars in cap space next season. That is money they can aggressively use to sign proven veterans especially on defense, which again could be a quicker fix than many expect, especially considering we don’t need the 1985 Bears Monsters of the Midway on that side of the ball. They simply need a defense that can help win games when Burrow and company wrack up the points. With the kind of money and draft capital they have, they can absolutely make that happen.

All that to say that although there were parts of the 2025 season that made the future seem so bleak, there are real reasons for hope that the 2026 iteration of the Bengals can fix the problems that plagued them and return to the playoffs. With Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase, and Tee Higgins on the same offense, no game will be out of reach. And with the available money and draft talent out there to work with, the moves and decisions the Bengals make in the next several months will make all the difference in redeeming the lost season we all witnessed.