Just a few months ago, the Cincinnati Bengals were thought to be the worst team in an AFC North division that many regarded as the best in football. Now, they are one of the final two teams still competing for the opportunity to represent the conference in Super Bowl LVI.
Not only has the franchise’s turnaround been remarkable, but it has also produced the best season in Bengals history, winning its first-ever road playoff game and now reaching the AFC Championship Game.
The Bengals will be getting its biggest challenge of the year, facing a red-hot Kansas City Chiefs team on the road. However, having already beaten them 34-31 in Week 17 of the regular season, they merely need to duplicate their last effort to reach the biggest stage in the sport.
There is a case to be made that no quarterback in the league has been better than second-year starter Joe Burrow over the past month and a half, most recently leading a 19-16 victory over the top-seeded Tennessee Titans despite being sacked an NFL postseason-record nine times.
Burrow’s Bengals finished the regular season ranked fifth in Real Quarterback Rating and fourth in Scoreability despite having an offensive line that graded ninth-worst.
This is also a tremendous compliment to rookie receiver Ja’Marr Chase and running back Joe Mixon, both of whom elevated their play beyond expectations this season.
This weekend, Burrow will be under extreme scrutiny and will need to convert on deep-play opportunities, following the Chiefs' ridiculous close to their divisional duel with the Buffalo Bills, a task that no QB in the league did better than him this year.
This game is going to be an aerial onslaught between two of the best arms in the league, and Burrow cannot afford to be even slightly off his game this weekend.
One of the scariest parts about the Bengals team is that, as an overall roster, they are not that elite and could become much better in upcoming free agency periods.
The Bengals ranked in the bottom half of the league in both Defensive Real Quarterback Rating and Defensive Rusher Rating, and although they can generate a decent pass rush at times, they were still only rated as the 12th-best unit.
An area that Cincinnati thrives in that cannot be measured statistically is in playmaking, with Burrow, Chase, Mixon, and Trey Hendrickson all being the obvious names on the roster with game-changing potential.
There is an old saying in sports that someone could have a “puncher’s chance,” meaning that their strength is so strong that it can overcome other weaknesses.
While there are certainly better overall teams than the Bengals, their puncher’s chance is almost beyond that— it is a legitimate reason to pick them to make the Super Bowl.
Bengals Super Bowl ticket-holders will be feeling pretty good about their upcoming matchup with the Chiefs; Cincinnati has already won in Arrowhead this season, their team is healthy, and their stars are playing well. There is a real upset brewing in the AFC this season.
One more thing: if Joe Burrow can help lead this historically bad franchise to the Super Bowl, much less win the whole shebang, after what he also did at LSU, he will be on track to be the greatest multi-level performer in football history. But let’s save that for when it actually happens if he can get by the Chiefs this weekend.
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Tanner Kern breaks down the biggest news from the NFL world, discusses fantasy football stategy, and gives his future bets for the 2022 season on the debut of the CHFF Show.