CINCINNATI — ESPN's Ben Solak went through a fun exercise this week, ranking all 32 NFL teams based on their "watchability," and Cincinnati checked in at No. 4. The fireworks potential on both sides of the ball has Solak intrigued.
Solak's four factors for the ranking involved big plays, star players, close games, and cool stuff.
"I don't default to 'incredible offense with bad defense' as the most watchable build -- I actually like a competitive game with good defensive stops. But ... the Bengals are so fun to watch," Solak wrote. "Not just because Joe Burrow, Ja'Marr Chase, and Tee Higgins are good. It is thrilling to watch their Sisyphean march to 35 points, their victory despite that defense inevitably failing them in the end.
"The Bengals were 4-7 in their 11 one-score games. They enter this season with a new defensive coordinator in Al Golden, but the roster still predicts high-scoring affairs. Cincinnati gave us a few top-tier watchables late last season -- the prime-time overtime win against Denver, the last-second loss to the Chargers, the failed 2-point conversion against Baltimore -- and should deliver much of the same in 2025."
Cincinnati could have some of the highest combined scores out of any team in the NFL this season if the defense is as bad as it's looked through two preseason games.
Now, it's hard to gauge a lot from the "10-15%" of the playbook that Logan Wilson noted the defense is using right now, but they've still been manhandled at the line of scrimmage. In the two games combined, Cincinnati's starting defense has allowed 13 carries for 141 yards (10.8 yards per carry).
That's not gonna get the job done come September, but it would make them more interesting to watch from a neutral perspective.
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