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2022 Bengals Betting Preview: Picks And Predictions

Nick Galaida Sat 9/10 1:34am PT

NFL betting expert Nick Galaida takes a look at the 2022 Bengals and offers a free betting pick on their season win total.

In 2021, the Cincinnati Bengals had a preseason win total of over/under 6.5, but managed to win 10 regular season games en route to a Super Bowl appearance. Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase were one of the most electric duos in the entire NFL, despite playing behind a horrible offensive line. The defense was also underwhelming, finishing 19th in DVOA.

Clearly not content to run-it-back with the same roster that led them to an AFC Championship, the front office aggressively improved the offensive line in free agency, and invested heavily on the defensive side of the ball in the draft. Let’s take a look at this collection of talent unit-by-unit to see if we should expect another deep playoff run in 2022, or if Cincinnati is due for regression.

Bengals 2022 Team Preview

Quarterbacks

Depth Chart: Tom Brady, Blaine Gabbert, Kyle Trask

Aaron Rodgers won his second consecutive Most Valuable Player award in 2021, but there was little doubt that Tom Brady was the best quarterback in the NFL last season. At 44 years old, Brady was elite against the blitz, sensational on 3rd down, and had an astounding 110.3 passer rating in the red zone. Despite injuries to the offensive line and the loss of multiple key pass-catchers in the latter half of the regular season, Brady finished the year with 43 touchdown passes and 5,316 passing yards – both of which led the league.

His interceptions numbers were inflated by some poor luck on balls deflected in the air, evident by the fact that he had a lower turnover-worthy-play percentage than the league average quarterback on every type of throw. Entering what could be his final campaign, there is little doubt that we have witnessed the greatest career of any professional athlete, in any sport. Expect Brady to eat well and stay hydrated – both staples of the TB12 method, and to deliver another elite season of production in 2022 for the Buccaneers.

Running Backs

Depth Chart: Joe Mixon, Samaje Perine, Chris Evans, Trayveon Williams

Joe Mixon is the bell cow for this backfield, and could be poised for a dominant campaign after the upgrades made to the offensive line. Last year, Mixon managed 1,205 rushing yards and 13 rushing touchdowns, running behind one of the worst run-blocking units in the entire league. The lack of a clear backup should afford Mixon an every-down role again in 2022, especially considering his pass-catching ability. If he can stay healthy, he should have little trouble surpassing his career-high in rushing yards this fall.

Wide Receivers

Depth Chart: Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, Tyler boyd, Hayden Hurst

Ja’Marr Chase had one of the most electric rookie seasons that we have ever seen for a wide receiver, catching 81 passes for 1,455 receiving yards, and 13 touchdowns. Still, the majority of Chase’s impact came in less than half of his games. He had four games with 125-plus receiving yards, but also eight games with fewer than 55 receiving yards. He can take the top off of the defense like few other receivers in the league, but more consistency would be preferable.

Tee Higgins is a far less sexy name, but he also added 74 receptions, 1,091 receiving yards, and six touchdowns in 2021 – playing in only 14 games. Higgins was much more consistent over the course of the year with 58-plus receiving yards in 71.4 percent of his contests. If he can stay healthy in 2022, he could threaten to finish in the top-15 in football in receiving yards.

Tyler Boyd is the unambiguous third option in this wide receiver room, but he would likely have a much larger role on a less talented team. Even playing alongside Chase and Higgins last fall, Boyd had 67 catches and 828 receiving yards. He lined up in the slot for 84.3 percent of his total snaps in 2021, making him an appealing options in matchups against teams without strong slot cornerbacks.

Offensive Line

Depth Chart: Jonah Williams, Jackson Carman, Ted Karras, Alex Cappa, La’el Collins

In 2021, the Bengals ranked 31st in sacks allowed per pass attempt, according to NFL GSIS. Burrow was sacked multiple times in 16-of-20 games that he started, including the postseason. Alarmingly, he was sacked nine times in the Divisional Round against the Tennessee Titans, and another seven times in the Super Bowl against the Los Angeles Rams. Recognizing that Burrow has the potential to be the face of the franchise for the next 15 years, the front office shrewdly invested in this unit during the offseason, trying to protect their young signal caller.

Ted Karras, Alex Cappa, and La’el Collins are each a massive upgrade over the player who they will be replacing. Cincinnati’s offensive line now features four better than league average pass blockers, in addition to fourth-round pick Cordell Volson from this past summer’s draft. Volson profiles as strong in pass protection. There are concerns about Volson’s athleticism and ability to be an asset in the run game, but both of those concerns should be mitigated with him playing left guard.

Overall, this is one of the best offensive line units in the league heading into 2022, which is a major breath of fresh air after what Bengals fans had to witness last fall.

Base 3-4 Defense

Defensive Line

Depth Chart: Sam Hubbard, D.J. Reader, B.J. Hill, Trey Hendrickson

Looking at the numbers from last season, it becomes even more surprising that Cincinnati managed to make it to the Super Bowl, without strong play at the line of scrimmage on either side of the ball. Defensively, the Bengals ranked only 14th in sacks per pass attempt and 13th in rush yards allowed per play.

Trey Hendrickson and Sam Hubbard were a fearsome duo in 2021, combining for 21.5 sacks and 24 tackles-for-loss. D.J. Reader had only two sacks, but graded as one of the better run-stuffers in the league, per Pro Football Focus. B.J. Hill added 5.5 sacks and was similarly strong against the run.

The main concern for this group heading into the new season is that both Hendrickson and Hubbard were abysmal against the run. The Bengals are capable of getting after the quarterback, and have two strong run defenders on this line, but 50 percent capability in each dimension means that Cincinnati is not particularly strong at getting into the opposing backfield or stopping the run. These four players have a lot of talent, but there are question marks about the impact that they will be able to make collectively.

Depth Chart: Logan Wilson, Germaine Pratt, Akeem Davis-Gaither

The Bengals promise to have a mediocre, at best, linebacker corps this fall. Logan Wilson, Germaine Pratt, and Akeem Davis-Gaither each graded outside the top-30 at their respective positions in 2021, and have seemingly little upside heading into 2022. None of these three starters are particularly well equipped to get after opposing quarterbacks (combined 1.5 sacks in 2021) or against the run, leaving major question marks as to the type of impact that they will be able to make on a weekly basis as this team tries to make another deep postseason run. 

Secondary

Depth Chart: Chidobe Awuzie, Vonn Bell, Jessie Bates III, Eli Apple

Cincinnati has plenty of quality talent in their secondary unit, but it is debatable as to whether they have any truly elite players. Chidobe Awuzie has peaked as an excellent cornerback in coverage, but has never finished higher than 14th at his position in Pro Football Focus’ grading system. Eli Apple was drafted with the 10th overall pick in 2016, but has never been better than league average. His role could be in jeopardy after the front office spent their first two 2022 draft picks on Daxton Hill and Cam Taylor-Britt this past summer. Jessie Bates III was one of the best safeties in football in 2020, but regressed sharply in 20221, especially against the run. He has a high floor, but he will need to have another strong season to prove that his elite 2020 campaign was not a fluke. Vonn Bell has been one of the most consistent safeties in the NFL since entering the league in 2016, but he has never gone from good to great. There are no liabilities in this unit, but there is also a lack of high-end potential, which will be needed if injuries become an issue throughout the year.

2022 Outlook

Making it to the Super Bowl in 2021 has caused many people to forget that the Bengals were only 7-6 after Week 14 during the regular season, before beating backup quarterbacks, Drew Lock and Josh Johnson in their two subsequent games. In Week 17, they pulled off an impressive win against the Kansas City Chiefs, but only managed to win by three points, despite 266 receiving yards from Ja’Marr Chase, who was gifted with coverage featuring only one deep safety for the majority of the afternoon.

Entering 2022, Cincinnati is seemingly much-improved, with significant investments on the offensive line via free agency, and a clear commitment to building the defense through the draft. Yet, their schedule is much more difficult compared to 2021, and they are unlikely to benefit from any easy matchups late in the season, with the Kansas City Chiefs, Cleveland Browns, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, New England Patriots, Buffalo Bills, and Baltimore Ravens on the schedule for the final six weeks of the year. 

PICK: Cincinnati Bengals u10 wins (-110)