The Cincinnati Bengals are hoping to bounce back from a rough 2025 season. The Bengals stumbled to a 6-11 record last year after nearly making the playoffs in 2024. A big reason for this was the absence of quarterback Joe Burrow.
Burrow struggled with injuries again in 2025. He was limited to just eight games, and the Bengals were unable to win many games without their starting signal-caller. Having Burrow healthy is certainly a top priority heading into 2026.
With the talent on this roster, it’s easy to see the Bengals as a playoff contender. However, there is one former NFL scout who isn’t willing to give them any sort of leeway. The team needs to put up or shut up, in his mind, this season.
Joe Burrow, Bengals Have ‘No Excuse’ Not to Contend, Per Ex-NFL Scout
Former NFL scout John Middlekauff recently hosted an episode of his podcast, “3 & OUT With John Middlekauff.” He spoke about Cincinnati and the talent they have. And he believes there is no reason this team should not be contending in the AFC.
“If they get a motivated Dexter Lawrence to go with some of their younger guys on the defensive line, to go with Joe and obviously the playmakers they have outside… This is a team that has no excuse not to win this division. They really don’t,” Middlekauff said.
Joe Burrow knows it’s NOW OR NEVER.@JohnMiddlekauff reacts to the Bengals QB’s urgency and says Cincinnati has no excuse not to win the AFC North and compete to win the AFC. pic.twitter.com/w2mMWcASTM
— 3 & OUT with John Middlekauff (@3andout_pod) August 21, 2026
Middlekauff further added that he believes Burrow knows that it’s “now or never” for him and the franchise to win it all.
Last season, the AFC North was a rather winnable division had things gone slightly differently. The Pittsburgh Steelers took the crown, defeating the Baltimore Ravens in Week 18. Pittsburgh finished with a 10-7 record. Had the Bengals had some better luck, perhaps they could have challenged for the top spot.
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The key this season, of course, is keeping Burrow healthy. The Bengals signal-caller finished 10th in the NFL with an impact score of 80.0 on PFN’s QB Impact Metric.
This is in spite of the fact that he was one of two QBs in the top-10 to play fewer than 10 games in 2025.
One factor that helped the former first-overall pick find success was his ability to reach the end zone.
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He finished third in the NFL for touchdown percentage last year. Only Matthew Stafford and Brock Purdy had a better touchdown percentage in 2025.
The Bengals certainly have the playmakers to find paydirt often. But it is crucial that this time, they find a way to ensure that Burrow is on the field and healthy.
If they can do that, this could be a very scary team for AFC opponents to deal with this upcoming season.
