Despite Cincinnati couldn’t taste the ultimate glory, 2021 will live long in the Bengals‘ memory. No, they couldn’t win Super Bowl LVI against the Rams. But they made history along the way and started to create a new culture.
When the Bengals selected Joe Burrow with the first overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, the team came from four straight losing seasons. Besides, it had the longest active drought without playoff wins in the league.
It took some time, but Joey Franchise eventually turned their fortunes. In 2021, the Bengals made the postseason for the first time since 2015, won their first playoff game in 31 years and also won their first road playoff game in history. However, Burrow admits that the team didn’t know what it took to become champions.
Joe Burrow says Bengals have learned from Super Bowl loss
“Going into last year, we knew we were good, but I think going into the playoffs, we knew we could win but we weren’t really sure what it took,“ Burrow said, per ESPN. “We just went out there and played really hard and together as a team, and it worked out. Now, we know what it takes and we have that experience in our back pockets going forward.”
Heartbreaking as the Super Bowl loss might have been, this seems to be just the beginning of a new chapter in the Bengals history. Burrow has proven how far he can take this team and he has an entire career ahead of him to take them to the promised land in the future.
