Kansas City comes with a lot of questions this season, mostly regarding the offensive line and the loss of Joe Thuney. If the line cannot hold and Mahomes is under duress, the offense could struggle, especially with the upper-echelon AFC teams.

That said, the Chiefs are still still be considered the top threat. There are two teams that often challenge Kansas City, but have yet to crack the code, which are the Buffalo Bills and Baltimore Ravens.

Every season, the Bills, Ravens, and Chiefs are in a foot race to make it to the Super Bowl, but the Chiefs continue to make it to the big game. With the expectation that all three will challenge one another again for the AFC crown, NFL legend Troy Aikman has offered a surprising fourth team to be on the lookout for.

Aikman joined Rich Eisen to discuss the AFC as a whole, and they brought up the usual playoff suspects in the Chiefs, Ravens, and Bills. However, Aikman also believes a team that is set to make some noise again will be the Cincinnati Bengals.

“I would like to think that Cincinnati will be there. We had them in the preseason and Joe Burrow had what could have been an MVP season last season, and to not make the postseason. I’m as big a Joe Burrow as there is on this planet and I would just hate to see him not reach that level…”

SANTA CLARA, CA – SEPTEMBER 9: American sports commentator Troy Aikman stands on the field prior to an NFL football game between the New York Jets and the San Francisco 49ers, at Levi’s Stadium on… More

Aikman believes what most people believe, which is that Burrow can help lead the Bengals back to the Super Bowl. The team did make it there in 2022, but they ended the next two seasons with a 9-8 record, missing out on the postseason both times.

Though there was hope the Bengals could have made some noise in 2024, they went 1-4 in their first five games, which all but doomed their season. They did rattle off five wins in a row towards the end of the regular season, but that wasn’t enough.

The biggest issue for the Bengals has always been how head coach Zac Brown prepares the team in September. The last two seasons have proven that the team starts off slow, which ends up messing their chances of making the playoffs.

Simply put, the Bengals have to start off fast, and considering they have arguably the best quarterback and wide receiver on the same team. That’s not to mention Tee Higgins and Trey Hendrickson, who both received new deals.

With the contract issues all sorted and no more distractions, the Bengals need to find a way to win early and often, especially if they want to ensure that Aikman’s prediction rings true.