Bengals Are Odds-On Favorites to Have First Pick in 2020 NFL Draft After Dolphins Win Again

• The Miami Dolphins have won two in a row, crushing their chances at the No. 1 pick in the 2020 NFL Draft
• The 0-9 Cincinnati Bengals have lost by an average of 13.6 points per game
• The 1-8 Washington Redskins have scored a total of 45 points in their last six games (7.5 PPG)

The Miami Dolphins were supposed to be the team that was tanking, but it’s the Cincinnati Bengals who now have the inside track on the top pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.

Thanks the Miami winning a second straight game, the still-winless Bengals have emerged as a -165 favorite to hold the first pick, “improving” from +300 last week.

Odds To Have First Pick In 2020 NFL Draft

All odds taken November 12th, 2019.

Dolphins Win Again; Not Focused On Top Pick

Although many people pegged the Dolphins to have the top pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, they’ve actually won two in a row and have pushed themselves out of the race. It’s not a huge surprise as the Dolphins have been very competitive over the last five weeks, covering the spread in five straight. Those who have followed them closely know they were more than competitive against Washington, Buffalo, and Pittsburgh.

The Dolphins could have beat the Redskins but failed on a game-ending two-point conversion. The week after, they led Buffalo by five in the third quarter and were in the red zone pushing to extend the lead before a costly turnover. After that, they held a 14-0 lead at Pittsburgh.

Brian Flores doesn’t care about your tank! That’s two straight Dolphins wins. Good for Flo. pic.twitter.com/kOZK1QYqmW

— Will Manso (@WillManso) November 11, 2019

The Dolphins blew all of those games but it goes to show you that this team has some fight to them. Their biggest issue has been turnovers. When they limit those mistakes – or win the turnover battle as they did against Indianapolis in Week 10 – they can win games.

Bengals Have Been Pulseless

The Bengals have lost all nine of their games this season and looked listless in most of those contests, especially recently. Their average margin of defeat is 13.6 points per game, which is almost as many as they score themselves (15.2 PPG).

Cincinnati benched veteran quarterback Andy Dalton for rookie Ryan Finley in Week 10 and, while he could get better as the season progresses, he had just 167 passing yards in his first start last Sunday against Baltimore, a 49-10 beatdown.

On defense, the Bengals give up a league-worst 170.3 rushing yards per game, 25 yards worse than any other team.

What’s it like to be 0-9? “It burns… I’ve never been 0-9 in my life.” Joe Mixon says he wants to win for Cincinnati and the fans. He promised he won’t ever quit on his team. @WLWT #Bengals pic.twitter.com/3yhZLwqeis

— Brandon Saho (@BrandonSaho) November 10, 2019

The Bengals are really thin on talent across the roster and first-year head coach Zach Taylor looks like he’s in over his head. This is simply a recipe for disaster.

The Bengals could possibly beat the New York Jets (Week 13, home) and Miami Dolphins (Week 16, road), but they’ll be dogs in those games. It’s hard to see where this team gets a win, let alone two.

Redskins Worth A Bet?

Washington returns off of their bye this week with rookie Dwayne Haskins entrenched as the starting quarterback. This team might be a worth a bet to finish with the worst record as they really should be winless. If the Dolphins converted the two-point conversion at the end of the game, Washington would still be stuck on zero wins.

The Redskins will host the Jets this week, which is a winnable game (they’re actually favored by one), and they’ll host the potentially-Matt-Stafford-less Detroit Lions. They’ll also host the New York Giants in Week 16.

At the same time, this offense is so bad that it’s hard to see them scoring enough to beat anyone.

Dwayne Haskins Jr. has been named the starting QB for the rest of the season. pic.twitter.com/nlU5eKabNj

— Washington Redskins (@Redskins) November 11, 2019

Washington has scored a total of 45 points in its last six games. Haskins, who has no touchdowns and four picks, has looked completely lost. I wouldn’t put it past the Redskins to finish the year with just one win. If that’s the case and the Bengals find a win, Washington would likely “win” the tiebreaker (strength of schedule) and get the #1 pick. The combined win-percentage of Cincinnati’s opponents was considerably better than Washington’s as of late October.

What’s The Best Bet?

The Bengals are the best bet here because they’ve yet to hit rock bottom. Their defense can’t stop anyone and the decision to develop Ryan Finley might be a good one long-term, but in the short-term, the team simply can’t move the ball on offense.

The Bengals to the Dolphins after our 2nd win today pic.twitter.com/jPUESO8V0u

— Make Miami Football Great Again (@Team__305) November 11, 2019

Considering they have a one-game lead for this and probably won’t win more than a game, I’d bet the Bengals to finish with the worst record in the NFL and earn the No. 1 pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.