Competing against the toughest competition will not be an excuse for Cincinnati losing next season, as its strength of schedule (based on this season’s standings) ranks 30th in the NFL. While this is not a direct correlation to how well each team will play next season, the Bengals will face just three teams that made the playoffs this season, outside of the Pittsburgh Steelers, who won the AFC North. Taking it a step further, out of the three playoff teams (Jacksonville Jaguars, Carolina Panthers, and Houston Texans), there was only one team to reach the second round.
