Cincinnati Bengals Season Recap

AFC North	Finished 3rd in Division
Overall Record: 6-9-1 (3-3 in division)	Draft Position: 9th
Head Coach: Marvin Lewis	GM (and Owner): Mike Brown

Pro Bowlers:

• DT Geno Atkins
• DE Carlos Dunlap
• WR A.J. Green

2016 Rankings

	Yards/Game	Points/Game	Passing Yards/Game	Rushing Yards/Game
Offense	13th	24th	15th	13th	TDs – T-24th
Defense	17th	8th	11th	21st	Sacks – T-19th	INTs – T-4th

Top Passers

Name	Games Started	CMP. PCT.	Yards	TDs	INTs	Passer Rating	QBR
Andy Dalton	16	64.7	4,206	18	8	91.8	58.3

Top Rushers

Name	Rushing Yards	Y/A	TDs
Jeremy Hill	839	3.8	9
Rex Burkhead	344	4.6	2

Top Pass Catchers

Name	Receptions	Yards	Y/C	TDs
A.J. Green	66	964	14.6	4
Brandon LaFell	64	862	13.5	6

Top Defensive Players

• LB Karlos Dansby - 114 total tackles, 10 tackles for loss, 1.0 sack
• LB Vontaze Burfict - 101 total tackles, 3 tackles for loss, 2.0 sacks, 2 INTs, 1 forced fumble
• DT Geno Atkins - 32 total tackles, 5 tackles for loss, 9.0 sacks
• S Shawn Williams, S George Iloka, and CB Dre Kirkpatrick all tied for the team lead with 3 interceptions

Impending Free Agents

• LT Andrew Whitworth
• DT Domata Peko
• WR Brandon LaFell
• CB Dre Kirkpatrck
• G Kevin Zeitler
• RT Eric Winston
• RB Cedric Peerman
• DE Margus Hunt
• DE Wallace Gilberry
• DT Brandon Thompson
• CB Chykie Brown
• CB Brandon Boykin
• K Randy Bullock
• RB Rex Burkhead
• K Zach Hocker

What I Said About Them Before the Season

• I projected the Bengals to be even better than their 12-4 record last season, win the AFC North this year, and be a strong contender in the conference to advance to the Super Bowl.  I expected that offensive coordinator Hue Jackson leaving to become the head coach in Cleveland wouldn't have a big impact on the Bengals, yet its effect was profound.  The loss of wide receivers Marvin Jones and Mohamed Sanu was more severe than I had anticipated as Brandon LaFell and Tyler Boyd weren't good enough to cover up their absences.

Success/Failure

• Failure - I'm guessing that most people had the Bengals at least returning to the playoffs this season even if they didn't project them to win the division like I did.  Losing their wide receivers caused issues for their offense all season, despite Andy Dalton still playing well at quarterback.  They also struggled to find consistency in running the ball, placing too much strain on the passing game.  This team is built to win in the present and should be a Super Bowl contender every year, so I think that there should have been some consideration given to firing head coach Marvin Lewis.  This year was the team's perfect opportunity to go deep in the playoffs considering their division was weak and the AFC only had one or two real contenders by the end of the season.

Offseason Needs

• Many of the mock drafts have the Bengals needing upgrades to their interior line to help their running game perform better.  By helping at the center or guard position it could also help take some stress off Andy Dalton.  The Bengals also need pass rushers on defense to help a secondary that intercepted the fourth most passes in the league this season.  Fox Sports has Cincinnati drafting defensive end Derek Barnett from Tennessee with the ninth pick in the draft.  However, they also have a need at linebacker and Reuben Foster should still be available when they pick and Foster was the best linebacker in college football this season by quite a distance.  I think that there is a chance that they draft Foster with their first round pick instead of Barnett.

*All stats and information come from espn.com, nfl.com, pro-football-reference.com, rosterresource.com, spotrac.com, overthecap.com, and cbssports.com