Cincinnati Reds or Cincinnati Bengals: Who wins a championship first?

With the Cincinnati Reds ready to compete for a division crown, will they win a championship before the rebuilding Cincinnati Bengals?

Cincinnati sports fans have been waiting a long time to see a championship team return to the Queen City. The Cincinnati Reds haven’t won a World Series title since the wire-to-wire victory in 1990, and the Cincinnati Bengals have yet to win a Super Bowl in the history of the franchise. Which team will bring a title to Cincinnati first?

Now, that may seem like an odd question. After all, the Cincinnati Reds have just expanded their payroll and brought in several top-level free agents. Combine that with an elite-level pitching staff, and the Reds should be favored to win a championship before a football team that won just two games last season, right?

Not so fast. Remember that these are vastly different sports. The baseball season is 162 games, spanning six-plus months. The ability to win in Major League Baseball requires longevity, durability, and, of course, talent.

Professional football offers a much shorter season, but is perhaps more grueling sport. A 17-week season, limited to just one game per week, is filled with hard hits, collisions and organized mayhem. While durability is certainly key to a team’s success, speed is essential, and the game is becoming increasingly dependent on one elite player.

So, let the debate begin. Which professional sports team is more likely to bring a world championship to the city of Cincinnati? Will it be the Reds, who appear primed for a run at the NL Central Division crown? Or, might we see a quick turnaround from the Bengals, who hold the No. 1 overall pick in the upcoming NFL Draft? Let’s look at several factors.

Bob Castellini vs. Mike Brown

Unfortunately, for Cincinnati sports fans, both the owners of the Reds and Bengals have not been the best over the years. Bob Castellini, who took over the Reds in 2006, has seen moderate success since taking over as Chief Executive Officer. Mike Brown, who’s owned the Bengals since 1991, has seen more lows than highs.

Both Castellini and Brown have been accused of being extremely frugal. To be fair, we’ve seen both owners dish out a good amount of money in the past. At the time of his extension, Carson Palmer signed a six-year extension in 2005, earning him a contract worth $118.75M. At the time Joey Votto signed his $251.5M extension, it was the longest guaranteed contract in MLB history.

So, to say that Castellini and Brown don’t spend money isn’t entirely accurate. Now, what is true, is that it’s extremely rare to see either owner invest heavily in free agent talent. Until this winter, the Reds always seemed to scoop up bargain-basement talent. The Bengals have made a few good signings over the years, but the signings of John Thornton and Tory James are in the past.

Going forward, it seems as though Bob Castellini sees the writing on the wall and wants to seize control of the NL Central. We’ve seen the Reds spend $164M on free agents this offseason. Castellini has opened up his wallet, which is something we’ve rarely seen from Mike Brown. The Reds have a clear advantage here.

Advantage: Reds

David Bell vs. Zac Taylor

This should be fun. Both David Bell and Zac Taylor had their first crack at the head job last year. Bell’s Reds finished the season 75-87, while Taylor’s Bengals ended their season with a 2-14 record. The Reds had an eight-game improvement from the 2018 season and the Bengals earned the first pick in the draft by having the worst record in the entire league.

It seems pretty cut and dry. From a coaching perspective, obviously the Reds are in a better situation heading into next season than the Bengals, right? I’m not ready to crown the Reds as the clear winners in this scenario just yet. Both coaches showed flaws.

David Bell’s coaching staff transformed the Cincinnati Reds pitching into one of the best in the league, but the Reds were 12th in runs scored. With a core group of hitters like Eugenio Suárez, Joey Votto, Jesse Winker and Yasiel Puig, Reds fans expected better production from the Reds lineup. Appropriately, the Reds and hitting coach Turner Ward parted ways.

Zac Johnson was brought to the Bengals organization because he was part of one of the NFL’s best offensive attacks in 2018. Johnson had been part of the Los Angeles Rams coaching staff, and was expected to bring an explosive offense to the Queen City. Cincinnati’s offense fell on it’s face, ranking 26th in total yards and 30th in points per game.

While neither coaching staff excelled last season, the presence of Derek Johnson on the Reds bench was a difference maker for Cincinnati’s pitching in 2019. Reds fans are eager to see what Johnson can do in Year Two. While Taylor is likely to snag an elite-level quarterback in the first-round of the NFL Draft, it’s unlikely to see a rookie turn things around that quickly.

Advantage: Reds

Reds hitting vs. Bengals offense

When you start comparing baseball to football, you’re really comparing apples to oranges. There are three phases to the game of football; offense, defense and special teams. In baseball, you’ve got hitting and pitching. For argument’s sake, let’s compare the Reds hitting to the Bengals offense.

This becomes the story of what is and what could be. Both the Cincinnati Reds hitting and the Cincinnati Bengals offense were dreadful last year. It seemed as though the Reds couldn’t get a clutch-hit and the Bengals were constantly behind the eight ball, clawing and fighting to score points. I think we can agree that it’s a draw when comparing both clubs outputs last season.

Now, looking forward, there’s reason for optimism on both fronts. For the Reds, they’ve added the likes of Mike Moustakas, Nick Castellanos and Shogo Akiyama this winter. All three players are expected to be major contributors and key pieces in helping elevate the Reds from 12th among all National League teams in runs scored last season.

For the Bengals, the future is bit more murky, as their star wide receiver is a free agent. A.J. Green, who’s been among the best wideouts in the game over his career, missed all of the 2019 season and is a free agent. There is speculation that the Bengals will use the franchise tag in order to keep Green heading into next year. The Georgia product may not like the idea, but it keeps Green in a Bengals uniform.

Then there’s prospect of adding the presumptive No. 1 overall pick Joe Burrow. Burrow helped lead the LSU Tigers to the College Football Championship, and Bengals fans are hoping for him to do the same for Cincinnati. The Bengals offense also has one of the premier running backs in all of football, Joe Mixon. Don’t sleep on the Bengals offense heading into next season.

This one is a bit more difficult, as we’re basing a lot of this on potential. The Reds lineup looks fierce heading into next season, but the success of the team may hinge on Joey Votto’s ability to return to form. The same could be said for the Bengals, who’ll need a healthy offensive line and a healthy A.J. Green to put up points in 2020.

Advantage: Reds (but only slightly)

Who wins a championship first?

So, while there’s no real way to predict which franchise is more likely to bring a championship to Cincinnati, judging by the current state of both the Reds and the Bengals, the Reds are the clear favorite to do so. That being said, it won’t be easy.

Even though we saw an eight-game improvement from 2018 to 2019, another eight-game improvement would barely see the Reds crack .500. While getting back a winning baseball is great, with the team that Dick Williams and Nick Krall have assembled, Reds Country is thinking a division championship at the very least.

The Reds have not seen expectations like this since the 2011 season, and that one didn’t end too well. After winning the NL Central title in 2010, the Reds dropped below .500 and missed the postseason. Reds fans are hoping the same fate does not await their team this coming season.

On the other side of the equation, the Cincinnati Bengals have nowhere to go but up. Joe Burrow is likely to be the first pick in the upcoming draft and will be counted upon heavily to help turnaround a franchise that hasn’t won a playoff game since 1991. Burrow certainly has the chops to do so, as he led LSU to an undefeated season and a National Championship.

It’s tough being a Cincinnati sports fan, but both the Reds and Bengals give supporters hope for the future. Castellini’s investment this offseason shows a commitment to winning, while the prospects of adding the Heisman winner gives Who Day Nation the promise of a successful future.