Bengals beating Chiefs to make AFC Championship? 2 major outlets think so

Both predictions include wins over the Chiefs in the playoffs.

Season predictions for the 2024 NFL season continue to roll in, and two major outlets are high on the Cincinnati Bengals going into the 2024 Season.

Athlon Sports and NFL Spin Zone both have the Bengals going to the AFC Championship for the third time in four seasons.

Athlon has the Bengals as the No. 5 seed in the NFL Playoffs this season. They beat the Miami Dolphins and Kansas City Chiefs on the road before falling to the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Championship. That means the Bengals would end the Chiefs’ run at the first Super Bowl three-peat in NFL history.

NFL Spin Zone has the Bengals winning the AFC North at 12-5, earning a No. 2 seed in the playoffs. The Bengals beat the Indianapolis Colts 24-14 in the Wild Card Round and beat the Chiefs 27-24 in the Divisional Round in Cincinnati, then fell to the Texans 31-24 in the AFC Championship in Houston.

The Bengals are looking to bounce back in 2024 after missing the playoffs with a 9-8 record in 2023. Injuries and an inconsistent defense were two downfalls in a 2023 season that began with Super Bowl aspirations, but the Bengals were still just one game away from making it back to the postseason.

As long as Joe Burrow is here — he says the championship window is his whole career after all — the Bengals will enter every season with Super Bowl aspirations. They hope for better health and a more consistent defense to get them back to the AFC Championship and, this season, Super Bowl LIX.