‘The narrative has certainly shifted’ — Joe Burrow admits the Bengals are in a different spot compared to past years
Burrow and the Bengals are ready to take on a new season.
The Cincinnati Bengals used to have nothing to prove. Coming off a 2-14 season with a rookie Joe Burrow at quarterback, the floor was in the basement in 2020. Expectations certainly weren’t much higher following year after Burrow suffered a catastrophic knee injury and the team only won four games.
Making the Super Bowl and AFC Championship Game in back-to-back seasons changed all of that. Cincinnati went from the upstart underdogs to the presumed contenders, and the weight of that label has grown after missing the playoffs in the ensuing two two years.
Burrow carries that weight plenty, and realizes the weight feels a bit differently now.
Joe Burrow knows exactly how the outside now views the Bengals
While Burrow wouldn’t admit there’s more pressure on this year’s team with two years removed since their last postseason berth, the sixth-year QB does sense the conversation has indeed changed.
“I certainly think that the narrative surrounding our team has shifted,” Burrow said in his Wednesday presser. “I’m not sure I would say most to prove, I would say that we certainly are trying to go out and win as much as we can. We’re putting in a lot of work for it. Like I said, the narrative has certainly shifted, and we’ll see where we’re at at the end of the year.”
Despite missing the playoffs, Burrow’s Bengals finished each of the last two years above .500 at 9-8 thanks to late-season resurgences. Reeling off wins in November and December were necessary when September and October were mostly filled with losses.
Most of that work Burrow mentioned is predicated toward ensuring the early-season woes don’t return this year, starting with Sunday’s matchup against the Cleveland Browns.
“We’re treating it like any other game, Burrow said. “We’re not doing anything differently. Obviously, there’s an emphasis on the start of this season and then having to win some of these games early, but that comes down to Sundays. Our prep has always been excellent in my opinion. We’re going to have the right game plan, because we have great coaches, and we’re going to know what we’re doing when we’re out there, because we put in the work just about going out and executing those plays and doing the right things on Sunday.”
It’ll take more than one win on the road to satisfy the narratives Burrow gave light to, but the NFL is a one-week-at-a-time business. It all starts with going 1-0 Sunday afternoon in Cleveland.
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