Cincinnati Bengals fans went from wearing “paper bags of shame” to cheering on the team in Super Bowl LVI. Prior to this year, Cincy had only had two Super Bowl appearances in 1982 and 1989, both ending in a loss to the San Francisco 49ers.
The franchise suffered a long history of losses until their triumphant win over the Las Vegas Raiders on Jan. 15 – resulting in their first playoff win in 31 years.
Looking back at 2020, the season ended with a record of 4-11-1. The Bengals finished fourth in the AFC North division with no chance at a playoff appearance. Quarterback Joe Burrow also suffered a torn ACL and MCL mid-season. In response, Burrow tweeted “Can’t get rid of me that easy. See ya next year.”
Thanks for all the love. Can’t get rid of me that easy. See ya next year✊
— Joey Burrow (@JoeyB) November 22, 2020
Delivering on his promise, Burrow led one of the NFL’s youngest teams to a 10-7 record heading into the postseason, eventually finishing with a 13-8 record, quite literally beating the odds.
Cincinnati Bengals take over the mantle as “America’s Team”
The people of Cincinnati aren’t the only ones rooting for the Bengals. Fans and commentators all over the nation are coining the Bengals as “America’s Team.”
Bengals are the new America’s Team. Everybody rooting for these guys.
— Kyle Odegard (@Kyle_Odegard) January 23, 2022
Did the @Bengals just become Americas team?! I think so! pic.twitter.com/mf067CddZm
— Thomas Geboy (@ThomasGeboyWX) January 30, 2022
The Future of America’s Team
Burrow was sacked 70 times during the 2021 season, making it apparent that Cincinnati’s offensive line needs improvement.
In the 2022 free agency, the Bengals signed right guard Alex Cappa, former Tampa Bay Buccaneer, to a four-year contract. Cincinnati also signed center/guard Ted Karras, former New England Patriot, to a three-year contract. Both of these players guarded seven-time Super Bowl champion and “the G.O.A.T,” Tom Brady. With these recent upgrades from the Bengals, NFL analysts are shifting their attention to a new animal, Joe Burrow.
It wasn’t just the city of Cincinnati rooting for the Bengals this past season and with them coming up just short of their first-ever Super Bowl win, don’t expect this team to fade into the background. They have a lot of people rooting for them to get the job done this upcoming season.