After lean years of late, the Cincinnati Bengals are back on the big NFL stage with a young, talented team. A win against the Kansas City Chiefs would not only be tantamount to a playoff appearance, but would also be the temporary culmination of an impressive development.

Cincinnati/Munich – Two game days before the end of the regular season, the first playoff tickets have already been allocated.

Green Bay and Tampa Bay have of course already wrapped up their participation, even the early qualification of the Kansas City Chiefs should not surprise anyone.

In fourth place in the AFC, however, is a team that has had less to smile about in recent years: the Cincinnati Bengals are surprisingly at the top of their division and seem to be gaining momentum.

Cincinnati Bengals: Show of force against the Baltimore Ravens

“We’re right where we want to be. We’ve earned this position for ourselves.” Joe Burrow is known for his dry wit, but even he could have shown at least a little more enthusiasm after a dominant 41-21 win over the Baltimore Ravens.

With 525 passing yards and four touchdowns, the 25-year-old delivered the best game of his NFL career so far and catapulted his Cincinnati Bengals into extended favourites in the AFC.

Last week, Cincinnati -Quarterback JOE BURROW passed for 525 yards and four touchdowns while posting a 143.2 rating, the fourth most passing yards by a player in a single game in NFL history.

– sportflash (@sportflash3) December 30, 2021

In addition, the signal caller hauled in the AFC Offensive Player of the Week award and now holds the franchise record for most passing yards. “This record is not just a reflection of me,” Burrow emphasised at the post-game press conference.

“It reflects the offensive line, the receivers, the coaching staff and the way we go out and execute our game. It’s pretty exciting. “

A picture-perfect rebuild: thanks to the draft at the top

Exciting times are few and far between in Cincinnati and especially with the Bengals, the last playoff appearance dates back to January 2016, the last win was even longer ago: In the 1990 season, the Houston Oilers could be defeated in the wild card round, then it was all over against the San Diego Chargers.

In April 2020, the franchise faced a long-awaited rebuild and secured the first pick in the draft after going 2-14. Burrow, who had previously come from nowhere to lead the LSU Tigers to the college championship and has roots in Ohio State himself, was the logical choice.

His sophomore season under head coach Zac Taylor started promisingly until Burrow tore his ACL on Game 11. The 4-11-1 record was still good enough for the fifth player selected in this year’s draft.

Instead of a much-needed offensive tackle to protect Burrow, the Bengals opted for the complete opposite, pairing the playmaker with his old college teammate and receiver Ja’Marr Chase.

The Bengals’ bold move has been more than rewarded so far: Chase’s 1,163 yards are seventh-best among all receivers, and he is tied for third with ten touchdowns. For his performance, the rookie was promptly selected to the Pro Bowl.

Burrow, Chase and Co.: An offence with a lot of power

“The incredibly hot debate over whether to draft a top tackle to protect Burrow or his old counterpart from LSU feels like it was had years ago,” NFL reporter Nick Shook summed up six months after the draft.

Combined with Tee Higgins (2020 second-round pick) and veteran Tyler Boyd and C.J. Uzomah, Cincinnati has an impressive passing game that can get even better in the coming years.

Complementing the offense is running back Joe Mixon, who like Chase was selected to the Pro Bowl. Mixon’s 1,159 rushing yards are second-best in the league, in addition to 274 receiving yards and 16 total touchdowns.

“Right now we have to play our best football,” Head Coach Zac Taylor praised his offense’s explosive performance against Baltimore. Even the offensive line, which has allowed 47 sacks so far (third highest in the league), looks more stable than in years past.

“Our selection of receivers makes it hard for defenses to focus on one thing. If they can do it, that’s fine with us. We also still have a Pro Bowl running back and can attack our opponents in a variety of ways. “

Cincinnati Bengals: Defense also making strides

The offense deservedly gets much of the credit for the Bengals’ renewed strength, but there have been some changes on the defensive side as well.

Star pass rusher Trey Hendrickson also broke a franchise record against the Ravens. No other Bengals player has ever recorded 14 sacks, and he is currently on a streak of 11 games with at least half a sack.

– 14 sacks
– 11 straight games with at least .5 sacks
– A Pro Bowl selection

Trey Hendrickson has made his presence known in Cincinnati. pic.twitter.com/nORsMPCwpB

– Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) December 27, 2021

“It’s not just me. You can’t sack anybody if you don’t have good (pass) coverage. I can’t praise the guys back there enough,” an overjoyed Hendrickson described last weekend.

The pass rushers have 41 sacks (seventh best in the league) and 12 interceptions (19th best in the league), while the pass defence of safeties Vonn Bell and Jessie Bates has 12 interceptions.

“Wincinnati” instead of Cincinnati

“We have to develop a killer instinct now,” Head Coach Taylor concluded after Game 16.

At any rate, the only thing his young team may be missing at this point is a win against a true top team.

Against the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday, the opportunity presents itself. With a win, the Bengals would not only punch their playoff ticket, but also win the AFC North for the first time in six years.

Cincinnati is gradually becoming “Wincinnati” – especially if the current development leads to a Super Bowl one day.