Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow isn't one to tell it like it isn't. When he says this 2026 Bengals team is the most talented he's been a part of, it's not just rose-tinted glasses offseason optimism. It's rooted in full conviction in what the front office did to upgrade the roster.
Burrow has said he wants everyone talking about the Bengals. That he wants outsiders to verbally spar over what he proclaims at his press conference. Consider everyone's interest piqued, Joey Franchise.
While all the recent wordsmithing is good fodder for speculation, though, it comes down to what happens on the field. And that's where the doubters are behind the curve.
What skeptics must bear in mind about Joe Burrow before counting Bengals out of Super Bowl contention
Lost in all the deserved Cincinnati hype is the fact that Burrow, armed with a better overall roster than the ones that went to Super Bowl LVI and the next AFC Championship Game, is a better player in his own right. Far superior to the quarterback that made those unforgettable playoff runs.
For a man who's not yet 30 and sports a 5-2 postseason record, the team around him and his body may have let him down in recent years, but when he's on the field, there are few better on the planet.
The part that people don't talk about when comparing the 2021-2022 Bengals rosters to the current roster is that JOE BURROW IS BETTER NOW.
— Goodberry (@JoeGoodberry) June 19, 2026
The league said "we're not letting you throw it deep anymore" but he just got more efficient at everything else instead. pic.twitter.com/QGTZxoTMAI
It's not a hot take to say Burrow's best season was in 2024. Ja'Marr Chase won the receiving Triple Crown, and Burrow led the NFL in passing yards and passing TDs. Unfortunately, that was only good enough for a 9-8 record.
So to recap: In the seasons Burrow has fully started and finished, he's come within three points of a Super Bowl, within three points of another trip to the Big Game, and within one win of getting into the playoffs whilst playing at the highest level he's ever played at.
Now, factor in the fact that Cincinnati's maligned defense is indubitably, by far, the best he's had since those postseason peaks. Also factor in the fact that Burrow has his best NFL offensive line protecting him. Oh, and a running game that should be firing on all cylinders with a legit feature back in Chase Brown.
Chase has improved at his craft, too, in the ensuing years. Amid this playoff drought. His chemistry with Burrow has only improved. The same goes for Tee Higgins. And all the other key Bengals pass-catchers.
So I'm sorry. Fandom bias aside, anyone who doubts these Bengals just isn't paying attention — most notably to the trigger man at the epicenter, who's poised for his best year yet.
We're not talking about Andrew Luck anymore. We're talking turnover-worthy play luck for Burrow. It was downright dreadful in 2025. He threw five interceptions on two turnover-worthy plays.
The slightest change in that department for the better, the slightest improvement from the defense, and the slightest of miscellaneous breaks here and there, are all but guaranteed to make Cincinnati a Super Bowl contender.
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