Bengals featured in a pretty stunning NFL predictions overreaction

It’s not often the Cincinnati Bengals are one of the most positive talking points around the NFL.

Yet, here we are. After the schedule release, NFL record predictions love the Bengals. So do oddsmakers, who have the Bengals on pace for a franchise-best number of games where they’re the favorite.

And now here comes the national overreactions, too.

Writing some top overreactions after the offseason, ESPN’s Dan Graziano said the Bengals getting back to the AFC title game isn’t a reach at all.

“There is a major opportunity here for the Bengals, as they've fielded a championship-caliber offense every year Burrow has stayed healthy,” Graziano wrote. “They just need the other side of the ball to start chipping in again.”

As always, the big talking points are the additions to the defense. The Bengals spent big in free agency on names like Bryan Cook at safety and Boye Mafe and Jonathan Allen for the defensive line.

Then, of course, the Dexter Lawrence trade.

The unit needs to gel and compensate, if not surpass the loss of Trey Hendrickson, but it’s a transition that looks like it should succeed.