There’s little doubt that the run the Cincinnati Bengals had in 2021 was special. They were teetering on playoff participation down the stretch, and a key win over the favored Kansas City Chiefs secured the AFC North title. Fast forward three playoff games, and another win over those Chiefs, and the Bengals somehow found themselves in Super Bowl LVI against the Rams. Cincinnati fought to the very end, and had a chance late to tie the game to send things to overtime. Despite the loss, the magic that was 2021 won’t go away. Ja’Marr Chase was excellent as a rookie, as was kicker Evan McPherson. The offense found it with the big play, and the defense was a great halftime adjustment group. However, complacency is the enemy of progress. The Bengals need to take what they learned from their experience in the big game and put that towards reloading for contention once again.
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