Here’s a look at the Super Bowl prospects of the Cincinnati Bengals, who finished the season 6-9-1:
Bengals' Super Bowl barometer: Middle of the pack
Assessing the foundation: The Cincinnati Bengals favor continuity probably more than any team in the league, as many members of their coaching staff have been together since Marvin Lewis was hired or before. The question is, has that continuity stagnated, or did the Bengals simply have a down season?
Lewis turned the team into a playoff contender, but Cincinnati hasn't been able to take the next step, regressing in 2016 for a number of reasons. But the core of the team is still mostly made up of the players that got to the postseason five straight times.
The Bengals have solid pieces: a quarterback they trust, one of the best wide receivers in the league and a Pro Bowl-caliber linebacker, defensive tackle and defensive end. The Bengals can certainly build around these elements, but they need to get more out of their draft classes than they have the last two years. Their offensive line didn't perform up to par all season, and it could lose its two best players in Kevin Zeitler and Andrew Whitworth to free agency.
Management doesn't think the team needs an overhaul, and it doesn't. But the Bengals need more production from the players they have, and they must replace a few aging veterans with younger players. With a few tweaks, they certainly could be back to being a contender next season.
Judging the quarterback: There's no quarterback controversy here. The Bengals believe in Andy Dalton. He's been their man for six seasons, and that's not going to change anytime soon. For two straight seasons, Dalton has thrown fewer than 10 interceptions. However, he threw only 18 touchdown passes this season, the worst output of his career.
Dalton wasn't perfect, but he did more with less after losing two receivers to free agency and being without either tight end Tyler Eifert or wide receiver A.J. Green for most of the season. Dalton was constantly under duress, taking 41 sacks.
The Bengals need to continue building a better foundation around Dalton, giving him better offensive line help and some more weapons at receiver. Injuries hurt them this season, but they can't use that as an ongoing excuse.
Realistic ways the Bengals can improve their chances to contend for a Super Bowl:
1. Fix the offensive line: Depending on the viewpoint, the Bengals could be in a lot of trouble here. Neither Jake Fisher nor Cedric Ogbuehi, the two players expected to be the future at right and left tackle, stepped up this season. The Bengals could also lose free agents Zeitler and Whitworth. That makes the future of the offensive line very shaky.
The Bengals believe Fisher and Ogbuehi could improve in Year 3, given an entire offseason without injury to work through their growing pains. But if they don't, the team needs a backup plan to limit the risk of injury to Dalton.
2. Improve the linebacking corps: The Bengals' best asset at this position is Vontaze Burfict, who can play at a Pro Bowl level when healthy. Everyone else needs a major shake-up. Karlos Dansby and Rey Maualuga showed their age this season, while rookie Nick Vigil is still somewhat of an unknown commodity.
3. Draft a pass-rusher: The Bengals' pass rush dropped off this season, and while defensive end Carlos Dunlap is one of their best young players, he was also inconsistent at times. The team needs to draft someone to complement him on the other side to get to the passer. Defensive end Michael Johnson will be 30 in the upcoming season and has achieved double-digit sacks only once in his career. The Bengals should address this position high in the draft.