Way-too-early schedule predictions: Bengals at Cowboys

Nearly all of the Bengals roster wasn’t alive the last time this franchise won at Dallas.

As we continue our look at the Cincinnati Bengals’ 2022 schedule, up next is the first major test of the year.

While the Dallas Cowboys won’t be the toughest team on Cincinnati’s schedule, winning at Dallas is something we’ve not seen for the orange and black since the 1988 season. The only players currently on the Bengals’ roster that were alive that year were 36-year-old punter Kevin Huber and 37-year-old holder Clark Harris.

So yeah, it’s been a minute since the Bengals beat the Cowboys in their own stadium. However, the Bengals are coming off a season in which they won a playoff game for the first time since 1991 and made their first Super Bowl since that 1988 season, so breaking longstanding trends is no issue for this bunch.

Did you know that since 2004, the Bengals actually have more playoff berths (8) than the Cowboys (seven)? The more you know.

Since the offseason began, there’s no question the Bengals have improved a roster that was oh so close to hoisting the Lombardi, while the Cowboys lost a host of key players in free agency, including Randy Gregory, Connor Williams, Amari Cooper, Cedrick Wilson, and La’el Collins, the latter of which joined the Bengals to provide a major upgrade to the offensive line.

Sure, Dallas still has Dak Prescott, a top-10 quarterback coming off a career year with 37 passing touchdowns vs. just 10 picks while completing 68.8% of his passes. Losing Cooper and Wilson would normally be difficult to overcome, but the Cowboys still have Michael Gallup, Dalton Schultz and CeeDee Lamb, so the passing game should remain strong.

The defense has one of the NFL’s rising stars in Micah Parson, who had 13 sacks as a rookie and will be a big test for Cincinnati’s revamped offensive line.

There’s no question the Bengals have the firepower to win in Dallas, but this should prove to be one of the more challenging games of the season.

Still, I see the Bengals coming in and making a statement to get their first road win of 2022.

ESPN FPI: Bengals have 32% chance to win.

My prediction: Bengals 31, Cowboys 30

What say you? Let us know in the poll below and the comments section!