Cincinnati Bengals 2009 Season Outlook

If you like to watch games while betting on NFL football, then the Cincinnati Bengals weren’t a great play last season. While the Bengals might’ve proven profitable under certain circumstances, they were extremely difficult to watch during a disastrous 4-11-1 campaign.

Key Departures: OT Stacy Andrews, QB Ryan Fitzpatrick, WR Glenn Holt, OT Levi Jones, RB Chris Perry, WR T.J. Houshmandzadeh, S Dexter Jackson.

Key Acquisitions: WR Laveranues Coles (FA), RB Brian Leonard (FA), QB J.T. O’Sullivan (FA), S Roy Williams (FA), OT Andre Smith (Draft), LB Rey Maualuga (Draft)

There are two big questions facing the Bengals offense heading into 2009. One, can QB Carson Palmer stay healthy? And two, how will he adjust to life without T.J. Houshmandzadeh? “Housh” was something of a security blanket for Palmer over the last three seasons – he had at least 90 catches per year and hauled in 25 TDs. After Houshmandzadeh flew the coop to become a Seahawk, the Bengals replaced him with veteran wideout Laveranues Coles, formerly of the Jets. He’ll team with the always-controversial Chad Ochocinco to form a boom-or-bust WR pairing – either they’ll be great, or they’ll fall flat. The running game, meanwhile, looks solid with the emergence of Cedric Benson last season. The former Chicago Bears bust pick is looking to rejuvenate his career and will likely carry the load for the Bengals.

Defensively, Cincinnati made great strides at the end of last season. LB Keith Rivers looks like the real deal while CB Leon Hall came into his own in the secondary. The team added a pair of ex-Cowboys – DT Tank Johnson and safety Roy Williams – that should mesh well with the youngsters Cincy lines up. Bringing in former USC linebacking standout Rey Maualuga should be a boon, as he’s drawn numerous comparisons to current Seattle standout Lofa Tatupu.

Notable 2009 Games: If Cincinnati can stay in playoff contention late, guess what the reward will be? Three of the final four games on the road! Road dates against the Vikings, Chargers and Jets will make up most of December, which doesn’t bode well for the Bengals. And if you’re looking to do some online sports betting involving Cincinnati, well, it won’t be during primetime. The Bengals don’t have a Sunday or Monday night game this year.

2009 Outlook: The Bengals are in a tough division and have an extremely difficult schedule. That’s not good for a four-win team of a year ago. If they can get to eight wins, it’s a huge lift, but the task won’t be easy. At this point, you have to figure the Bengals are basically playing either for or against beleaguered coach Marvin Lewis – this could play a big role in what kind of record Cincy has when it’s all said and done, and if Lewis is around for 2010.