When Joe Burrow took the Bengals to the Super Bowl in his second season and came within a play of beating the Rams, the future looked bright.
Especially when they went 12-4 the following year in 2022 and went to the AFC title game before losing to the Chiefs.
But the last three years have been filled with frustration. They have missed the playoffs the last three years and Burrow has been injured in two of those years. He played in just 10 games in 2023 and eight last year.
Now the Bengals are at something of a crossroads. They made big moves in the offseason, signing Boye Mafe and Bryan Cook and trading their first round pick for Dexter Lawrence. With Burrow healthy and Cincinnati bringing back all their offensive starters for the first time in Burrow’s career, the Bengals think the sky is the limit.
Executive vice president Katie Blackburn told reporters, “We think we’re close.”
Burrow said, “We think we’re going to win a lot of games this year and play great and win the Super Bowl.”
Now the Bengals find out if they are as good as they think they they are. It is a Super Bowl or bust year for the Bengals.
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