With the Cincinnati Bengals season kicking off this Sunday at Lucas Oil Stadium against the Indianapolis Colts, we here at Bengals Wire will attempt a game-by-game prediction for the upcoming regular season. I’ll admit that my optimism prior to last year led me to predict a 9-7 season and a chance at a wildcard berth. Obviously, I was wrong.

After their strong showing throughout the preseason, the starting Bengals offense looks eerily similar to the explosive unit we cheered on back in 2015. A.J. Green looks to be back to his elite ways. Tyler Boyd seems to be the next coming of Mohamad Sanu (not so much in their style of play, but rather in the roles they both played as a gadget slot receiver). John Ross looks to be the deep threat, like Marvin Jones. And finally, if Tyler Eifert can stay healthy, the offense as a whole will be more explosive. He opens up the playbook in ways Tyler Kroft could never even hope to.

The running game looked average to below average during the preseason, so again, this harkens back to 2015. Remember, in 2015 the Bengals had trouble running the ball, but had an explosive passing game. This season looks to be more of the same . . . Except that we have multi-dimensional Joe Mixon starting as opposed to the one dimensional Jeremy Hill. If the run blocking is even a smidgen better than last season, I can see Mixon making some noise. With both Giovani Bernard and Mixon able to catch out of the backfield as well as in the slot, Bill Lazor will be able to open up the playbook and call some creative plays this season.

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With that said, these are my game-by-game predictions for the 2018 Bengals regular season (honestly, the scores are arbitrary, but I wanted to give a sense of how much the team will lose or win by).

Week 1 @ Indianapolis Colts: W 30-21

The Colts were ranked 30th in passing defense last season. And judging from the fearless play calling by Bill Lazor, the Bengals may take some shots down the field early and often. I expect them to test the Colts secondary deep right away to set the tone.

And although Andrew Luck will be playing his first regular season game in ___ months, I still view him as one of the best QB’s in the league. If he shows any semblance of his former self, I expect a shootout, as the Bengals typically have trouble containing mobile QB’s like Luck (as in QB’s that can get out of the pocket to make huge passes downfield ala Big Ben)

In the end, I have faith that our retooled offensive line can keep Andy Dalton clean in the pocket. What I’m worried about is the lack of push in the running game. This could be a close one, but ultimately, I see the Bengals coming out on top.

Week 2 vs. Baltimore Ravens: W 24-13

The Bengals have won 6 out of 9 games against the Ravens dating back to 2013. For some reason, the Bengals just have the Ravens number. Being that this will be the home opener, the Bengals will have the upper hand simply due to home field advantage.

The Ravens do not have a passing game. No offense (which could describe the Ravens), but a WR corp led by Michael Crabtree and John Brown doesn’t really inspire a lot of confidence. With Willie Snead being the wildcard (if he can come back fully healthy and ready to go), Joe Flacco just doesn’t have much to work with. What I am worried about are the two rookie TE’s the Ravens just drafted. Although both are listed behind Nick Boyle, I still expect them to play. Both Hayden Hurst and Mark Andrews are threats at the TE position, although Andrews is more of a big slot receiver, as opposed to Hurst, who is seen as a complete TE. Now with this in mind, remember that the Bengals have trouble against TE’s going over the middle…

But even with all that said, the Bengals are just too talented on defense, even without Vontaze Burfict. They have the secondary to shut down Snead, Crabtree, and Brown and the DL to harass Flacco all game. The Ravens passing game doesn’t stand a chance, however their running game COULD cause some trouble (and with it, the play action deep pass).

Week 3 @ Carolina Panthers: W 24-20

I wanted to give this one to the Panthers, but after looking at their defensive depth chart, they just don’t have the secondary to contain Green, Ross, Boyd, AND Eifert. If the Bengals OL can keep Dalton upright (which will be tough, considering the Panthers mean front 7), I expect the team to put up some points against a weak secondary.

However, the Panthers could win if they get Greg Olsen and Christian McCaffrey going. It’s a toss up as to which of these players will be the Achilles hill for the Bengals defense. Not only are the Bengals infamous for giving up plays to TE’s over the middle, they’re also notorious for letting check down passes to RB’s go for large gains. And both Olsen and McCaffrey are potential headaches for the Bengals defense.

And lastly, let’s not forget Cam Newton. He’s the type of QB that the Bengals defense typically has trouble containing. Not only does Newton have a big arm, he’s extremely mobile and strong…

However, with that said, I still see the Bengals putting up some points here and winning in a close game against a very good Panthers team.