An injury-plagued 2016 season saw the Cincinnati Bengals post their first losing record in six years and left them scrambling for answers heading into this season.Wide receiver A.J. Green, tight end Tyler Eifert and running back Giovani Bernard combined to miss 20 games last season. As a result, the offense went from seventh in points scored in 2015 to 24th in 2016. The defense remained strong, finishing eighth in points allowed, but it had to carry a heavy load because of the offensive shortcomings.The AFC North is always loaded at the top with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens, so the Bengals have little margin for error if they want to make a return to the playoffs after sitting home last season.Here's a look at the schedule the Bengals will face in 2017, as released by NFL.com, and analysis of what to expect from the team.ScheduleAnalysisThe biggest key for success in Cincinnati next season will be staying healthy. Eifert was on his way to superstardom after 2015 when he had 52 receptions and 13 touchdowns.Eifert suffered an ankle injury during the 2015 Pro Bowl that kept him out until Week 8 last season and had back surgery prior to Week 17. He's never played a full 16-game schedule in four NFL seasons, so there are plenty of reasons to be concerned about his long-term outlook.It's hard to overstate how important Eifert is to Cincinnati's offensive success, but Pro Football Focus Fantasy offered one number to illustrate it:Green was having the best season of his career in 2016 before he went down with a hamstring injury. His 6.6 receptions per game and 96.4 receiving yards per game were the best marks of his six-year career.Bernard's drop in production was particularly alarming because he averaged 1,147 yards from scrimmage and six touchdowns from 2013 to 2015. His yards per carry dropped from 4.7 in 2015 to 3.7 last season before a torn ACL ended his season.Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com did paint a positive picture for Bernard's rehab in February:Giovani Bernard (ACL) is having maybe the greatest rehab offseason since Leon Halls first Achilles reconstruction. If not, then since Leon Halls second Achilles reconstruction, so Im willing to wager that barring a setback he wont go on PUP. Maybe hell miss the first one or two games of the regular season, but I think thats it. Thats merely a gut call, so well see.Quarterback Andy Dalton has not shown the ability to win games by himself, so having those three skill players on the field for all 16 games will make life much easier for him and the Bengals.Pivotal MatchupsOn the surface, Cincinnati's 3-3 record against the AFC North doesn't seem that bad. It's only when you realize two of those wins were against the Cleveland Browns that it raises an eyebrow.When the Bengals won the AFC North in 2015, they went 5-1 against the division. The Steelers got the ultimate revenge by winning their last two matchups, including an 18-16 triumph in the AFC Wild Card Game to end Cincinnati's season.The Steelers reached the AFC Championship Game last season, losing to the New England Patriots, and will be dangerous again in 2017 with the three-headed monster of Ben Roethlisberger, Le'Veon Bell and Antonio Brown leading the offense.The schedule-maker did Cincinnati a favor in 2017, as it owns the fourth-easiest strength of schedule based on opponent win percentage last season, per John Breech of CBSSports.com.Outside of the division, the Bengals will face the NFC North and AFC South. That gives them four games against the Browns, Chicago Bears and Jacksonville Jaguars.Games against fringe-playoff contenders in the AFC, like the Tennessee Titans and Indianapolis Colts, will be critical for the Bengals. It helps them establish where they stand in the conference, in addition to giving them a tiebreaker advantage.Things didn't go Cincinnati's way last season, but that's no reason to sleep on this team in 2017.
Click here to read full news..
