1 Thing Standing Between Cincinnati Bengals and Super Bowl Return

The Cincinnati Bengals have not played a postseason game since the 2022 season, and a 6-11 finish in 2025 made it three straight years out of the playoffs. That said, the club enters 2026 with legitimate Super Bowl buzz.

The optimism starts with the work done to fix a defense that allowed 28.9 points per game last season, ranking 30th of 32 teams. In April, Cincinnati sent the No. 10 overall pick in the 2026 draft to the New York Giants for Dexter Lawrence, the first time in the draft era the franchise had dealt a top-10 pick for a player, and signed the three-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle to a one-year, $28 million extension.

The front office kept spending in free agency, particularly on defense, signing edge rusher Boye Mafe to a three-year, $60 million deal and safety Bryan Cook to a three-year, $40.25 million contract on March 12 before adding defensive tackle Jonathan Allen on a two-year deal a day later. The one notable departure was star edge rusher Trey Hendrickson, who inked a four-year, $112 million contract with the division-rival Baltimore Ravens.

Superstar quarterback Joe Burrow has taken notice of the improved roster. Speaking at a press conference on May 20, the 29-year-old made his expectations clear.

"I think this is the most talented roster that we’ve had since I’ve been here," Burrow said. "We’re gonna go win a lot of games this year, and play great, and win a Super Bowl."

Joe Burrow was in a prediction mood Wednesday, saying throwing 48 TD passes and setting new Bengals franchise record “doable”, winning a Super Bowl with “most talented roster” he’s had in his time with Bengals pic.twitter.com/WJ1stK4R7q

— Mike Petraglia (@Trags) May 20, 2026

There is just one thing standing between Cincinnati and a Super Bowl return, and it is the one thing no offseason move can address. Burrow has to stay healthy.

The No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 draft has appeared in 35 of a possible 51 regular-season games from 2023-25, and three of his six NFL campaigns have seen him sidelined for six games or more. A torn ACL and MCL in his left knee ended his rookie year, a torn ligament in his throwing wrist ended his 2023 season and a Grade 3 turf toe suffered in a Week 2 win over Jacksonville cost him nine games in 2025.

Burrow finished 5-3 as the starter in 2025, while Cincinnati went 1-8 in the nine games he missed. Six of those starts went to Joe Flacco, the 41-year-old the club acquired from Cleveland in October and re-signed to a one-year deal in late March.

The career splits are just as lopsided. Burrow owns a 43-33-1 record as an NFL starter, and Cincinnati is 7-16 all-time without him.

While a 9-8 finish in 2024 was not enough for the playoffs, Burrow held up his end, leading the NFL with 4,918 passing yards and 43 touchdown passes. In 2021, his second season, Cincinnati went 10-7, won the AFC and reached Super Bowl LVI, falling 23-20 to the Rams. Even in his eight games last season, he threw for 1,809 yards with 17 touchdowns, five interceptions and a 100.7 passer rating.

The first test comes soon, with training camp opening on Wednesday, July 29, and the season starting at home against Tampa Bay on Sunday, Sept. 13.