The Cincinnati Bengals are the 2021 AFC North champions.
Say it loud say it proud #Bengals pic.twitter.com/JRlLq0j3w1
— Cincinnati Sports with Strawberry Ice (@JeffATrennepohl) January 3, 2022
What a difference a year makes?
The Bengals were the only team in the AFC North that did not make the playoffs in 2020.
The Pittsburgh Steelers, Baltimore Ravens, and Cleveland Browns were playoff-bound.
In 2021, the Bengals may be the only AFC North team to go to the playoffs.
The narrative regarding the franchise since quarterback Joe Burrow was drafted in 2020 is that they would be good sometime in the future.
They would need years to build the team around Burrow.
Very few thought they would be this impressive in Burrow’s second season especially after he suffered a season-ending injury in his rookie season.
How are the Bengals achieving success?
There is no ancient secret behind it; they have playmakers in all facets of the game, and they have won big “prove it” games this season.
Bengals Playmakers
Get it, @JoeyB! pic.twitter.com/CApV7777F3
— xz – Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) January 3, 2022
This is a very young team.
It is scary that they are experiencing this level of success so quickly.
Joe Burrow and running back Joe Mixon are 25 years old.
Wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase is just 21.
One of the “older” players is Trey Hendrickson, defensive end, whom the Bengals acquired in free agency before the 2021 season.
Joe Burrow (25): 4,165 yards
Joe Mixon (25): 1,159 yards
Ja'Marr Chase (21): 1,163 yards
Tee Higgins (22): 1,029 yards
The Bengals are the first team in NFL history to have a 4,000-yard passer, 1,000-yard rusher and 2 1,000-yard receivers all 25 or younger in the same season. pic.twitter.com/esaVoV50YV
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) December 27, 2021
Big Wins
Cincinnati took their division by storm.
They swept both games against their AFC North rival Ravens and Steelers.
Only the Browns managed to beat the Bengals one time this season; their second meeting is in Week 18.
Burrow and Chase have had some memorable games together, but Week 17 might have been their finest moment yet. 🙌@joeyb | @Real10jayy__ | @Bengals pic.twitter.com/3Ge5ClQGi7
— NFL (@NFL) January 3, 2022
Of course, the biggest win of the season was in Week 17 against the defending AFC champion Kansas City Chiefs.
The Chiefs were riding an eight-game winning streak and managed to lose as the Bengals marched down the field to consume a large chunk of the end of the game with a game-winning field goal.
An Impressive Loss Against The Packers
While football success is measured in victories, there were some character-building losses for the Bengals this season.
4th times the charm 🤷#GoPackGo | #GBvsCIN pic.twitter.com/tymEbO9XQC
— NFL GameDay (@NFLGameDay) October 10, 2021
Most notably was the Week 5 matchup against the Green Bay Packers.
This pitted the veteran Packers against the young upstart Bengals.
Cincinnati nearly pulled off the upset before losing by a final score of 25-22 in overtime.
Momentum
It often seems like the teams with the most momentum entering the playoffs advance further or end up making it to the Super Bowl.
There is no doubt that the Bengals have a lot of momentum and confidence working in their favor these days.
They have won three straight games and five of their last seven.
The Bengals put up 41 points against the Ravens in Week 16 and 34 against the Chiefs in Week 17.
Joe Burrow out-dueled Patrick Mahomes and beat the #1 Chiefs to win the AFC North.
What a time to be alive #Bengals
— Blake Jewell (@BlakeJewellNFL) January 2, 2022
Burrow had two phenomenal games in Weeks 16 and 17, throwing for 971 total yards.
He has eight touchdown passes and no interceptions during those two games.
After defeating the Chiefs, the Bengals proved to the rest of the AFC and the NFL that they are a force to reckon with.
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