Owner Mike Brown, son of the late great Bengals founder Paul Brown, has long operated the Bengals on the cheap. The Bengals have a bare-bones scouting staff. And they have cut costs wherever they could. But Mike Brown has the last laugh with the NFL betting odds. So many other NFL clubs have wasted millions of dollars on such follies as analytics and multi-layered scouting staffs. Yet they have no results to show for it. Brown has built a franchise that is lean, mean, and efficient. However, in 2022 the surprise factor is over for the Cincinnati Bengals.
2022 Cincinnati Bengals NFL Odds at SBG
| Prop | Odds |
|---|---|
| To win the Super Bowl | +2120 |
| To win the AFC | +1100 |
| To win the AFC North | +200 |
| Over-Under Win Total | 10 |
Bengals Make History After Long Period on the Outs
The 2021 Cincinnati Bengals will go down in history as one of the great surprise teams to reach a Super Bowl. Cincinnati was coming off five consecutive losing seasons. Including a 4-11-1 campaign in 2020. But the Bengals snuck up on the rest of the AFC with a strong passing attack led by quarterback Joe Burrow.
Also, showing as an online betting asset was a defense that, while not dominant, was improved. The Bengal defense was good enough to limit opposition scoring. Head coach Zac Taylor was in his third season and impressed everyone with his steady leadership skills.
The Cincinnati Bengals were founded in 1968 as an American Football League expansion franchise. Correlate, they hold the distinction of being the last team formed in the old AFL.
The late great coach Paul Brown was the founder and first head coach of the Bengals. Brown was ousted by the Cleveland Browns in 1962 and in exile until the Bengals’ opportunity opened. In turn, Cincinnati became one of the most successful expansion franchises in pro football history. Brown led the Bengals to the AFC Central title in their third season. As a result, that set the stage for a perennial contender.
Cincinnati has never won a Super Bowl championship. However, they have made Super Sunday three times. The 1981 Bengals lost to the San Francisco 49ers. The 1988 Bengals were defeated in the final seconds by the 49ers again. And then came the 2021 team. Cincinnati shocked the pro football and gambling world by making it to Super Sunday. But they lost another close one to the Los Angeles Rams.
Bengals Have Full Attention of Opponents in 2022
Quarterback Joe “Cool” Burrow was the first pick taken in the 2020 NFL Draft out of LSU. Consider that Burrow won the Heisman Trophy in his second season with the Bayou Bengals. Most important of all, he led LSU to an undefeated season and national championship.
The Bengals earned high Pro football betting odds grades for their 2022 NFL Draft performance. Cincinnati drafted five defensive players with their six picks. First was Michigan defensive back Daxton Hill. This emphasis on defense was a reaction to the struggles of the Bengals’ Super Bowl loss to the Rams.
Cincinnati has gone from a team that the networks avoided like the plague into a hot property. To illuminate, the Bengals will host the Miami Dolphins on Prime Video. They get NBC Sunday Night Football dates at the Baltimore Ravens and the Pittsburgh Steelers. Also, Cincinnati will be on ESPN Monday Night Football at the Cleveland Browns and home against the Buffalo Bills.