The Cincinnati Bengals finished the 2024 season with a 9-8 record and on the outside looking in for the 2024 NFL playoffs.
Yet, there's a feeling around this Bengals team that a Super Bowl run could be in the cards this year, assuming the defense takes even a minor step forward.
The main reason for that level of optimism is obvious: QB Joe Burrow.
Burrow's 2024 season was near-historic. He led the NFL in passing yards with 4,918 and set a career high with 43 touchdown passes. Quarterbacks who have seasons like that rarely watch the playoffs from the sideline, but that was Burrow's fate last year.
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But that was last year. The 2025 season should bring better results on defense after Cincinnati hired Al Golden to take over as defensive coordinator. Even if the Bengals have a slightly below-average defense, it'll be an improvement over one of the NFL's worst in 2024. And if that happens? Yep, the sky's the limit.
ESPN's Mike Greenberg said it as well as any analyst could in a recent breakdown of the Bengals and Burrow. Check it out, and enjoy:
I hold grudges .. I ain’t forget
— Jalin Hyatt (@jalinhyatt) June 5, 2025MORE CINCINNATI BENGALS NEWS
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