Joe Burrow, Bengals Ready To Prove They Belong Among Elite NFL Teams

The Cincinnati Bengals may be forgotten at times in the loaded AFC, but that doesn’t mean they’ve forgotten how good they can be. Just a few seasons ago, Cincinnati made it to the Super Bowl and was a play away from winning it all.

The following year, the Bengals reached the AFC Championship Game, losing to the Kansas City Chiefs on a last-second field goal. Last season, Cincinnati entered looking to get back to the Super Bowl but injuries to starting quarterback Joe Burrow derailed everything.

Burrow missed a significant amount of time but the Bengals still fought. They won 9 games, just barely missing the postseason.

But with Burrow back and ready to go, Cincinnati is ready to remind everyone who they are. Burrow spoke with Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated and detailed how he has approached the game since his wrist injury.

“I have more reps invested,” he says. “I treat the game the same way, attacking it with a mindset to be the best that I can be. The more reps that you get invested, the better you’re going to be. I have four years of those under my belt now. You’re constantly honing your process from your offseason to your in-season with the team. I’m just finding that as we go, and it’s getting better and better, doing things more efficiently. And that [efficiency] leaves time for other things where maybe I haven’t invested quite as much time. I’m just doing it more efficiently. That’s where we’re at.”

It won’t be easy for Cincinnati in the tough AFC North division. With the Baltimore Ravens, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Cleveland Browns aspiring to win the division themselves, Cincinnati has its work cut out.

Burrow mentioned that he has had a lot of time to think about defenses. He was already one of the more accurate quarterbacks in the NFL so this could be a scary thought for opposing teams.

“I had a lot of time coming back to think about checks against certain defenses that I like,” Burrow said, in a quiet moment, a couple of days later. “That’s been a big emphasis for me over the last month and a half. I’m seeing things really well right now. The throwing part is getting better and better, each day the more reps that I get. My arm is really strong down the field right now, which I’m really happy with.”

Bengals head coach Zac Taylor mentioned that the urgency is always there with Burrow. This includes when the team is practicing.

“You feel his urgency at all times,” Taylor says. “It’s go time. We’re not messing around here. We just had to punt on this drive in practice. That’s not good enough. You can feel the anger that just happened. Where’s the extra 1 percent? I think he continues to grow on how to attack defenses, putting himself in the coaches’ shoes — What checks do I anticipate them giving me? How do I proactively start to move that direction? We have that trust with him.”

It’s an important year for the Bengals as it may be the last with co-stars Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins playing together. Higgins will be a free agent next offseason and there is no guarantee he will return, making this season even more important.

But with No. 9 out on the field, Cincinnati feels that they have a shot to win every game. So with Burrow back healthy, the sky is the limit for the Bengals this season.

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