13 Reasons Why You Should Be Excited About The 2024 Bengals

[jonesbengal18]

13) Our Lord and Savior, Joe Burrow.

The first part of this series is pretty predictable. Most of this is common knowledge on here. However, I think putting all of this in one post and adding some perspective is important! Now, It doesn’t feel like it was too long ago that our beloved Cincinnati Bengals were struggling. We were in a tough spot. From 2009 to 2015, the Bengals made the playoffs six times in 7 seasons and won the division in three of those years. However, we never won a single playoff game during that stretch. As frustrating as that was, the following years were even worse. After three consecutive losing seasons, we fired our 16-year head coach, Marvin Lewis. We quickly hired the young, offensive minded prodigy;  Zac Taylor, but the benefits of this hire were not immediate. In fact, during his first season we finished last in the NFL with a dismal 2-14 record. The Bengals were the laughing stock of the NFL, and the future seemed bleak. Ownership’s intentions and direction were unclear, and the team had no clear identity. To make matters worse, we hadn’t won a playoff game since 1991. We needed a change, anything to help turn this franchise around. 

Fortunately, all our terrible football had earned us the first overall pick in the draft that year. And sitting there at No. 1 was none other than Joe Burrow. During the 2019 football season, while the Bengals were eating grass every Sunday, the LSU Tigers were dazzling on Saturdays. Honestly, dazzling may be a slight understatement. LSU was having one of the greatest college football seasons of all time. Offensively, the Tigers averaged 548 ypg, 48.4 ppg, and their average margin of victory was over 26 points. These are video game numbers. LSU went undefeated and won the National Championship. Their offense will be remembered as one of the greatest single-season offenses in history. 

Impressive? Duh. But I didn’t even mention the most impressive part of that squad: Joseph Lee Burrow, a senior from Athens, Ohio, who had originally been a backup at Ohio State. Joe transferred from Ohio State because he couldn’t get on the field and was struggling to find his footing there. He played his first season at LSU with mixed results, and had one more year of eligibility. Suffice it to say, not many people had high expectations for Burrow at the start of the season. Except maybe one person. Ed Orgeron, head coach of the LSU Tigers. During that 2019 campaign, Joe threw for 5,671 yards (4th all-time), 60 touchdown passes (2nd all-time), and had a 76.1% completion rate (4th all-time), all while throwing just 6 interceptions for the entire year. He also ran in for 5 touchdowns, bringing his total to 65 touchdowns (No. 1 all-time). This was the greatest single-season performance by a quarterback in college football history. Joe is in the top 5 in most statistical categories for a single season, with most of the players ahead of him coming from non-Power 5 schools. May I also add that Joe  accomplished all of this in the toughest conference in college football, the SEC. Joe won the Heisman Trophy unanimously, and his acceptance speech is worth watching if you haven’t seen it yet. 

Let's shift back to the Bengals, who, to remind you, were having one of the worst seasons in NFL history. By mid-season, Bengals fans began to see a silver lining: if we kept losing, Joe Burrow would be ours. So, it was a race to be the worst team in the league, and the Bengals delivered. We earned the No. 1 pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, and Bengals fans endured four straight losing seasons for the prize of Joey B. Joe Burrow was selected by the Bengals at No. 1. 

Since being drafted, Joe has established himself as a top-3 quarterback in the league. Although he suffered a season-ending injury midway through his rookie year when a sack destroyed his knee, many worried about his health and questioned if he could return fully. In his second year, coming off such a severe injury, Joe threw for 4,611 yards, 34 touchdowns, and led the league in completion percentage at 70.4%. More importantly, he won the AFC North Division Title, securing a playoff spot. This marked the beginning of one of the greatest runs in Bengals history. The Bengals won three straight playoff games and reached the third Super Bowl in franchise history. In four playoff games that year, Joe threw for 1,105 yards and 6 touchdowns. 

In his first full season, Joe was one play away from winning the Bengals’ first Super Bowl. He followed that up with another impressive season, leading the league in completion percentage at 68.3%, throwing for 4,440 yards, and 35 touchdowns. The Bengals won two more playoff games that year and were one play away from another Super Bowl appearance. This puts Joe’s playoff record at an impressive 5-2. Joe started 40 straight games between those two seasons—a remarkable feat.

Last season was disappointing, to say the least. Joe struggled with injuries early on and then suffered a season-ending wrist injury just as the Bengals seemed to be finding their stride, costing them a playoff spot. Many people are concerned about Burrow's injury history, labeling him as “injury-prone.” However, I believe most of his injuries have been either freak accidents or common issues for players in his position. Not to mention, before last season, Joe played 49 straight games without missing a start. The doubts about Joe’s health heading into this season are exactly why I’m so excited. Joe has spoken about and demonstrated that one of his biggest motivations is proving people wrong. Ohio State didn’t want him, so he went to LSU and became one of the greatest college QBs of all time. People said Joe wouldn’t succeed in Cincinnati, yet in four years he has won 5 playoff games and taken the team to the Super Bowl. Joe thrives under scrutiny and pressure. Entering training camp this year with a new look—blonde and eager to prove the doubters wrong—Joe has performed well in preseason. His eyes are on the prize. This is Joe's fifth year in the league, but his first with a true training camp free from interruptions. The Bengals have the potential to start strong and keep improving. Joe is the heart and soul of our team, and I believe he has the talent and determination to take us all the way and raise the Lombardi Trophy. Oh, and by the way, the Super Bowl is in New Orleans this year—where LSU won the National Championship five years ago.

[jonesbengal18]

12.  Offensive Juggernaut…With a Favorable Schedule - Throughout much of the offseason, the Bengals have faced significant recency bias. It was devastating when Burrow suffered a season-ending injury right as the offense began to click. Joe's calf issue was a thorn in our side early in the season. However, from weeks 5 to 9 last season, the Bengals' offense averaged 26.6 points per game (PPG), which is slightly higher than the average from 2022 (26.1) and slightly lower than the 2021 Super Bowl team (27.1). During those weeks, it seemed like the Bengals' offense had really figured something out. So, when Burrow went down, along with my television when I threw my Air Force One at a celebratory Jadeveon Clowney, the NFL seemed to forget the offense we had been capable of producing. This is something the team is eager to correct in the 2024 season.

 

Not only does the team have something to prove, but so do our weapons individually. We declined to extend Tee Higgins this offseason, so this will likely be his last year in Cincinnati. Tee should be determined to play his final season as well as he can, in order to secure the biggest deal for himself this offseason. Ja'Marr Chase and Joe Burrow have a lot to prove to show that they can maintain this offensive efficiency well into the future. Tight end Mike Gesicki is a nice addition to the team. He should add a spark to the receiving corps and provide Burrow with a solid option, potentially matching or even surpassing the results Uzomah had in 2021. The biggest hole offensively is the loss of Joe Mixon, but I think the duo of Chase Brown and Zack Moss isn’t a bad replacement option. It will be beneficial to have two serviceable backs to add some competition in the running back room. It feels strange going into a season where the biggest question mark isn’t the offensive line. While our rookie sensation Amarius Mims is out for a few more weeks, this O-line is as good as we’ve seen in quite a long time. It is by far Burrow's best group since joining the Bengals. I truly believe Joe Burrow could be the MVP if the line can produce a top 10 type of season.

 

Looking back at 2023, it's amazing that the Bengals were still able to produce offense without Burrow. This demonstrated growth in Zac Taylor and his game management. We were able to adapt and have a fairly successful winning season, which is impressive! I think this is Zac’s year to put it all together. Burrow is back and stronger than ever, the weapons are all in place, and Zac can finally combine his McVay-style offense with Burrow’s strengths.

 

Lastly, it’s important to mention our schedule this year because we got lucky! Yes, we have to play the AFC North twice, which is tough. However, according to Pro Football Network, we face 6 of the bottom 10 expected defenses in 2024 (Carolina, Denver, Washington, LAC, Tennessee, and NYG). I’m also giving a personal shoutout to another team that seems to be joining the tank train as an easier defense: New England. We know that the Bengals have one of the more favorable schedules in terms of opponents this year, but it’s even more telling that we face defenses that are just plain poor. I believe the Bengals will be in the thick of the AFC regular season title race. We all know how important it is to have home-field advantage during the playoffs, and a bye week can be a game changer near the end of the season. With all that in mind, looking at our schedule gets me all excited in places I can’t mention on a Tuesday. To me, the key number to watch is 28. If we can average 28-30 points a game, we will be unstoppable. This would make it Burrow’s most productive season yet and another reason why I believe we’ll be lifting that Lombardi Trophy.

 

[HoosierCat]

Always appreciate the enthusiasm! I think this is best done as a single thread versus 13 separate posts, tho. Looking forward to the next entry.

[ArmyBengal]

In looking back on past threads, the other 11 reasons never came in this one.

Oddly enough, with 3 games left in the season, the only two provided were the ONLY two reasons to be excited about the Bengals.
The other 11 would have all turned out to be apparitions.