If you followed the last season, then you may have noticed that they were one of the worst teams in the NFL. OK, they weren't of the worst teams, they were the worst team, at least on paper: They had the worst record, they had the worst run defense in the NFL, and they were bad at scoring points.Not exactly three things you're ever going to be bragging about.Despite their ugly 2019 season, this is a team that should have a lot optimism heading into 2020. For one, they weren't as bad as most people thought they were last year. Although they finished 2-14, the Bengals were in nearly every game they played. Not only did they lose eight games by just one score, but they also during 12 of their 16 games. To put that in perspective, the only but still manage to lose 14 times was the 1979 , who had Bill Walsh and Joe Montana.The 0-8 record in one-score games was also shocking, because that's nearly impo sible to do. Statistically speaking, NFL teams should win about half of their one-score games. Basically, the Bengals were a better team than their record indicated. They were a team that kept games close despite the fact that they lost two starters for the year before the season even started in A.J. Green and 2019 first-round pick .Of course, having the Chris Paul Jersey worst record in the NFL ended up working out in the Bengals' favor, because it allowed them to land with the first overall pick in the NFL Draft. The biggest upside of having the first overall pick is that your team almost always improves if you select a quarterback. Over the past 10 years, there have been six quarterbacks -- , , , , and -- who have been taken with Kawhi Leonard Jersey the top pick started at least 12 games during their rookie year, and those quarterbacks have combined to go 41-41-1. Even though each quarterback went to a bad team, they still managed to combine for a .500 record. Those same six quarterbacks have averaged 6.8 wins per year during their rookie season.The other thing the Bengals did this year was participate in free agency, which was shocking, because that's generally something they don't ever do -- until about the fourth wave of free agency when everything is 60% off. The Bengals love discounts. However, this year, the team went out and got multiple players who should be able to contribute right away, such as D.J. Reader, and .Basically, there are a lot of reasons why the Bengals should win substantially more games this year, and the biggest reason is that their team is better. Am I trying to talk myself into a Bengals playoff berth? Maybe.Let's get to the 2020 week-by-week predictions and find out how good I think the Bengals are going to be this year. All odds are provided by William Hill Sports BookWeek 1 vs. Line:Bengals +3.5Opponent win total:O/U 7.5The guys in the NFL scheduling department didn't do the Bengals any favors in Week 1. This is a nightmare matchup for a Cincinnati team that will be starting a rookie at quarterback, and that's mostly because Joe Burrow is likely going to spend the first game of his career running for his life. The Chargers have one of the best pa s-rushing duos in the NFL in and . Even if Burrow can somehow avoid those two, he's going to be throwing pa ses into a Chargers secondary that now includes . The one thing about this game is that the Bengals are going to be hyped. Not only will it be Montrezl Harrell Jersey Burrow's debut, but it marks just the second time since 2010 that the team has opened a season at home. Thanks to that hype, I think the Bengals keep it close, but in the end, they won't pull out the win.Prediction: Chargers 27-24Projected record: 0-1Week 2 at (Thursday night)Line:Bengals +8Opponent win total:O/U 8.5If there's one team the Bengals have dominated over the past few years, it's the Cleveland Browns. The Bengals have won eight of the past 11 games in this series, including a 33-23 win that last time these two teams met, which came in Week 17 of last season. The point spread here seems to be ridiculously high in favor of the Browns, which doesn't seem to make a lot of sense for multiple reasons. For one, Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield still hasn't proven that he can be consistently good in the NFL, and there's no guarantee the Browns rush defense is going to be better after giving up the third most yards in the NFL last season. If this game were on a Sunday, I'd think about picking the Bengals to win, but it's a Thursday game, and it's Cleveland's home opener, so I'm taking the Browns. Prediction: Browns 23-20 over BengalsProjected record: 0-2Week 3 at Opponent win total:O/U 9.5The month of September is going to turn into a full-fledged disaster for the Bengals as they drop to 0-3 after a lo s in Philadelphia. The upside for the team is that Joe Burrow is going to continue to grow more comfortable in the team's offense, and that's going to set the Bengals up for some surprising succe s Patrick Beverley Jersey over the final 13 games of the season.Prediction: Eagles 27-20 over BengalsProjected record: 0-3Week 4 vs. Opponent win total:O/U 4.5If the Bengals go winle s in September, the good news for them is that October is going to open up with a very winnable game. The Bengals have more talent than the Jaguars at almost every skill position and should be able to easily outscore Jacksonville. Defensively, the Jags will likely be starting at least two rookies -- and C.J. Henderson -- and they might not have , which is why I'm predicting the Bengals to hit the 30-point mark for the first time in this game.Prediction: Bengals 30-23 over JaguarsProjected record: 1-3Week 5 at Opponent win total:O/U 11.5To most outsiders, this game might seem like a blowout waiting to happen, but the fact of the matter is that the Bengals almost always play well in Baltimore. Remember how bad Cincinnati was last season? Well, that team almost pulled off a stunner against the Ravens in Week 6 when they lost by just one score in Baltimore (23-17). The last Bengals-Ravens games that have been played Louis Williams Jersey in Baltimore have been decided by just one score, so we're going to keep that theme going. Prediction: Ravens 31-24 over BengalsProjected record: 1-4Week 6 at Opponent win total:O/U 9No one does letdown games quite like the Bengals, and this feels like the perfect spot for a letdown. After going toe-to-toe with the Ravens, it won't be surprising at all if the Bengals show up to Indy in Week 6 and get totally dominated. The Colts have a veteran quarterback in Phillip Rivers who will likely spend four quarters taking advantage of the Bengals' secondary.Prediction: Colts 30-16 over BengalsProjected record: 1-5Week 7 vs. BrownsOpponent win tota