Most would probably agree that the Cincinnati Bengals again feel like a major threat to the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC.
The Bengals, after all, boast a 3-1 record over Patrick Mahomes and Co. in recent years and have battled them in back-to-back AFC title games.
But most doesn’t mean all.
Speaking on “Get Up” recently, Dan Orlovsky named the New York Jets and Buffalo Bills as the biggest threats to the Chiefs in the conference. When asked about the Bengals, he replied on Twitter, citing the question marks at safety and right tackle for the Bengals.
Those concerns about the Bengals are warranted, of course. Jonah Williams could be better at right tackle. La’el Collins could be back by Week 1 given his remarkable rehab progress. And at safety, Dax Hill, Nick Scott and rookie Jordan Battle are new to Lou Anarumo’s scheme.
But the problem is omitting a team that has already proven it can get the best of the Chiefs in favor of a Bills team the Bengals trounced in the playoffs and a Jets team that hasn’t won a playoff game in more than a decade. There are viable concerns about both teams, including how long it takes Aaron Rodgers to click in New York.
On the other side of those Bengals-related concerns is the idea that right tackle could actually be upgraded on a line that already has four solid spots — possibly crafting Joe Burrow’s best line yet. And we’re far past the point of underestimating Anarumo, who will put the best guys on the field and adjust the scheme to their capabilities.
Until the opposite happens, it’s totally fair for fans to still consider the Bengals the biggest threat.
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Story originally appeared on Bengals Wire