NFL
By Jalen Willingham
The Cincinnati Bengals proved to the world that their 2021 Cinderella run to Super Bowl 56 was not a fluke. With one of the hardest schedules in the entire NFL, the Bengals showed everyone that they are here to stay. No more old Bungles. Expectations and standards were raised all around, and Cincinnati was poised to once again be a legit contender for the Super Bowl.
Starting the season 0-2, many fans began to panic however as the Bengals team that had only gotten better in the off-season took much longer than expected to find their groove for the long haul. Add the fact that Joe Burrow had yet another hectic offseason of recovering from injuries and you have an ugly combination. After starting off 0-3 in the AFC North, a big win over the Carolina Panthers at home changed the tide of the entire season.
A team with no All-Pro’s and only three pro bowl players, the Bengals would go on to win 10 straight games. In that win streak, they had great wins over three playoff teams and got payback over each divisional rival. They were even able to beat the Baltimore Ravens in the Wild Card Round after facing the Ravens for a third time in the season. My original prediction for the Bengals was to go 11-6 being first in the AFC North. Finishing the year 12-4, they exceeded my expectations.
One of the more lousy criticisms of Joe Burrow was that he couldn’t perform at a high level without having top-tier receivers. The stretch midway through the season where the Bengals offense had to operate without their number one pass catcher Ja’Marr Chase quickly disproved that theory. Burrow threw for an average of 265 yards, and nine total touchdowns with a rating of 100.1.
After a lot of the early season struggles, the revamped offensive line finally found its groove. Then the injuries happened. First, La’el Collins went down for the rest of the year, Alex Cappa went down next and finally, Jonah Williams got hurt. The Bengals offensive line was back to square one, looking just like the offensive line they had against the Rams on the biggest stage. Going into the playoffs, everything unraveled with the Ravens sacking Burrow four times. The Bills game was an anomaly, but Cincinnati is lucky that they were without Von Miller. Everything came crashing down versus Kansas City with the Chiefs sacking Burrow three times in the first eight snaps. The game was long lost before Joseph Ossai’s unfortunate blunder.
With the 23-20 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game, the Bengals have big moves to make in free agency. Before they do anything else, go ahead and give Joe Burrow the keys to the city with the large contract he deserves. Although they will be able to retain a lot of their core players, there are some key players that will be looking to get paid. The Safety duo of Bonn Bell and Jessie Bates are going to be free agents. Bates is looking to get paid like a top safety in the NFL after playing all of the 2022 season on the franchise tag. His time in Cincinnati is most likely over, unfortunately.
They have to make a decision on whether or not they keep tight end Hayden Hurst and linebacker Germaine Pratt. Pratt’s recent comments on Joseph Ossai’s late-game mistake is not helping his case, however. On top of making decisions on whether or not they should resign key starters, the front office has to account for the future. Tee Higgins and Ja’Marr Chase are going to want big paydays. Will they eventually move on from the beloved Tyler Boyd? What about on the other side of the football? Is Logan Wilson their main inside backer for the foreseeable future?
The answers to these questions will come with time, but one thing is for certain, the old days of the terrible Bengals teams are no more. A new era in the Bengals history has begun.
