The emergence of the Cincinnati Bengals

What makes sports so beautiful is the unpredictability of it. Throughout the years, the sports world has seen many underdog stories, ranging from the 2015/16 Leicester City team, winning the Premier League against 5000-1 odds, or the St. Louis Rams of 1999, rallying behind former store-clerk Kurt Warner.

However, sportsbooks will have another such story to add into its famed stories of underdogs. Enter the 2021 Cincinnati Bengals.

In December of 2020, I wrote a blog talking about how Joe Burrow's injury could potentially be a blessing in disguise for the Bengals. You can read it here.

You would be forgiven for assuming the Bengals would just be a punching bag for its 17 opponents. After all, they were given a 1% chance to make it to the big game by FiveThirtyEight.

However, a series of savvy trades and smart drafting, meant that the Bengals - the NFL's laughing stock - were one win away from hoisting the franchise's first Lombardi trophy. How did we get here?

The Bengals as we know them today can be traced back to an unlikely source - the 2019 season.

Following the departure of longtime head coach Marvin Lewis, the Bengals needed a coach who could take over the reins. Enter Zac Taylor. The coach was an influential piece to Jared Goff's 2018 season, the season in which he led the Los Angeles Rams to the Superbowl.

The hire was met with extreme optimism. Fans were excited to see a new era of Cincinnati football, following the stagnation of the team under Marvin Lewis.

However, excitement does not guarantee wins. The Bengals learnt this the hard way.

After being given +20000 odds to win the Superbowl, the Bengals started off in nightmare-like form. Following a 0-11 start, the worst in franchise history, with veteran QB Andy Dalton being benched in favor of Ryan Finley in Week 10.

The Bengals finished the season 2-14, good enough, or bad enough, for the first overall pick. The decision was a no-brainer: LSU's Joe Burrow.

Burrow had come off arguably the greatest season a college football QB has ever had, posting the highest QB rating in the history of college football (it was broken the very next season by Alabama's Mac Jones.)

It was no surprise to fans when commissioner Roger Goodell announced Joe Burrow as the number 1 pick, and then seeing the former Tiger wear the Bengals cap over his head. In the second round, Burrow also received some throwing support, in the form of WR Tee Higgins.

In the 2020 season, Burrow showed tremendous potential and was the favourite for the prestigious Offensive Rookie of the Year Award - until their Week 10 matchup against the then Washington Football Team.

In the third quarter, Joe Burrow, after taking a deep shot to WR Tyler Boyd, was hit by two pass rushers. Later, he was ruled out for the season with a torn ACL and MCL.

The city of Cincinnati and the NFL world were shocked. Would the Bengals' front office finally realize the shortcomings of the O-Line and invest in it? Would Burrow's progress get hindered by this very brutal injury?

The Bengals ended their season with a 4-11-1 record. This gave them the 5th pick in the draft. However, questions were being asked about Zac Taylor's competency. He had gone a combined 6-25-1 over his two years. Taylor was not given a chance by the NFL landscape to last the full season and was even expected to be one of the first coaches to be fired in the offseason.

Through free agency, the Bengals added DE Trey Hendrickson, CBs Chidobe Awuzie and Mike Hilton, and DTs Larry Ogunjobi and D.J. Reader.

To add to these, veteran OT Riley Reiff joined the Bengals on a one-year deal, to provide Burrow with some much-needed protection.

In the draft, the Bengals had a dilemma on their hands. Should they draft generational talent OT Penei Sewell, who would also satisfy a position they need improvement on desperately or go for Burrow's former teammate at LSU, WR Ja'Marr Chase. WR was also a need for the Bengals, however, it was argued that they should protect Burrow, decreasing the chances of another injury, rather than go for the flashy names.

However, as the draft approached closer, there were reports that Burrow did prefer choosing his former teammate, as compared to choosing Sewell.

On draft day, the Bengals ended up choosing Chase, which gave rise to plenty of criticism from the media for not prioritizing Burrow's protection. However, they did follow up this pick by choosing Jackson Carman in the second round.

In the preseason, there were reports of Burrow being in a slump, and not playing to the levels of a first overall pick. Chase also kept dropping passes thrown his way, with the receiver attributing this to the fact that the balls in the NFL were much darker than the balls present in the college game.

All of these led to FiveThirtyEight projecting the Bengals to go 7-10. They were given the 5th worst chances of taking the Lombardi to Cincinnati. The Bengals were also given a 20% chance to make the playoffs, with a 7% chance to win their division, a 1% chance to make it to the big game, and a 0.5% chance to win it.

So, with their backs up against the wall, how did they perform in 2021?

Well, let's say they surpassed expectations.

The Bengals, led by the prolific receiving duo of Burrow and Chase, won the AFC North for the first time since the 2015 season. Burrow won the Comeback Player of the Year award, and was firmly in the MVP conversation, though this was awarded to Green Bay Packers' QB Aaron Rodgers.

It is also fair to say that Ja'Marr Chase learnt how to catch NFL balls, as he was awarded the Offensive Rookie of the Year award, and was a top-5 receiver throughout the whole season.

The Bengals found themselves in an unusual spot. They now were hosting the Las Vegas Raiders in Cincinnati, hoping to win their first playoff game in 31 years. For context, Burrow nor Chase had even breathed their first breath when they beat the Houston Oilers 41-14 in 1990.

In a tight game, the whole of Cincinnati held their breath as the defense produced a goal-line stand, bringing the Bengals their first win since the 90's.

Now, the Tennessee Titans. Despite injuries riddling their season, the Titans had managed to become the No. 1 seed in the AFC, ensuring that the playoffs ran through Tennessee. Now, with a fully-healthy squad, it was expected that the fairy tale of the Bengals would come to an end.

Despite getting sacked 9 times, Joe Burrow and Co kept the game close, requiring rookie kicker sensation Evan McPherson to kick the Bengals into the AFC Championship Game. As he heard his name called, he turned to the bench and said:

"Looks like we're going to the AFC Championship Game."

The Bengals were now one game short of the Superbowl. In their way was the league's best team on paper. The Kansas City Chiefs. They had also hit form just at the right time. They had just won one of the greatest games in the history of the sport, against the Buffalo Bills, responding equally ferociously to anything the Bills did.

With an arsenal of QB Patrick Mahomes, WR Tyreek Hill and TE Travis Kelce, all who were the best at their respective positions, the Bengals were given very slim odds to face the NFC champion in the Superbowl.

At halftime, the odds seemed justified. The Bengals were trailing the Chiefs 10-21. The Chiefs were on fire, especially Mahomes, who had a perfect half.

This seemed destined to happen. Much like with Icarus, the Bengals' luck had to run out at some point.

As the teams came out of the tunnel for the final half, it only seemed a formality that the plane to Los Angeles would be reserved for the Chiefs.

However, the unthinkable struck. The Bengals, led by Burrow (yet again), started scoring. A FG by McPherson, followed by a Burrow TD and a successful two-point conversion meant that we were now tied at Kansas City.

However, the more notable story took place on the Chiefs' offense. Mahomes, who had had a stellar first half, followed up his performance with a less than ideal second half, to say the least. The QB, who had posted a near-perfect QB Rating in the first half of 149, which fell all the way to a 34 in the second half.

With the two teams trading a FG each in the fourth quarter, the game was now tied at 24 apiece. We were headed to OT.

In the coin toss, like their previous game, the Chiefs won the toss, and elected to start.

Yet again, the Bengals had their backs up against the walls. The stadium, sensing a home team victory, started their celebrations.

However, the NFL gods had other ideas.

On the third play of OT, Mahomes took a deep shot to Hill. The pass was deflected. DB Vonn Bell caught it. The Bengals just intercepted Mahomes.

The Bengals, not wanting to tempt fate, carefully ran play up the Chiefs' necks, all the way to the Chiefs' 12 yard line.

McPherson heard his name called. This time, the stakes were higher. Exponentially. Everyone who was not a Chiefs fan held their breaths.

The stadium got louder in a hope to disrupt the Bengals' play calling. The season had led up to this very moment. Here was the chance to rewrite the wrongs of the laughable history of the Bengals. A franchise, associated with bungling when there was a glimmer of hope, giving rise to the nickname the Cincinnati Bungles.

The kick was good. The Bengals were going to the Superbowl. Back in Cincinnati, fans went crazy. Against +15000 odds, the Bengals were now 60 minutes away from winning the franchise's first ring.

Although the Rams were favored by 4.5 points, the NFL had taken notice of these Bengals. The storyline of the Bengals had changed from players hanging onto NFL players by the skin of their teeth, to now the cool, fashionable kids around the corner. Cigars became synonymous with the Bengals. All of a sudden, picking the Bengals to beat the Rams would not make you seem like a crazy man.

The biggest question was if the Rams' star-studded DL would prove to be a challenge too much for the Bengals' OL, causing the offense to get smothered.

Through the first 3 quarters of the game, the answer was a firm no. DT Aaron Donald was as effective as a chocolate teapot, and his performances seemed to creep their way into his head, as his frustration was very visible.

By the commencement of the 3rd quarter, the Bengals led the Rams by 4 points. A win was getting more and more likely for the Bengals. The OL came to play, meaning Burrow had all the time in the world to find his targets. It didn't feel real. Are the Bengals winning the Superbowl?

Oh, wait. Donald remembered he was a top-10 player. DT Von Miller decided to turn the clock back. Burrow started running for his life. As a result, the offense stagnated. The Bengals lost any momentum they had. Drives never went beyond the first 10 yards.

Luckily, the Rams' offense was any better either. QB Matt Stafford had the Bengals' DL hunting him down.

The game was stuck in a loop. Punts were traded like they were cards. The score remained 16-20, in favor of the Bengals.

Bengals fans also dodged a real scare, when Burrow was sacked in the beginning of the fourth quarter, causing him to limp off the field, visibly being in pain. He toughed out the injury, although he was seen leaving the stadium with a visible limp. It was later revealed he had suffered a spraint MCL.

That is until the second-last drive. With 6 minutes left in the clock, this was the last chance for the Rams to retake their lead. The ball was placed at their 21-yard line.

On the first play, Stafford found a wide-open Brycen Hopkins for a gain of 9 yards. However, 2 unsuccessful attempts to gain the first all of a sudden meant that the Rams had a fourth down. This was do or die for the Rams.

Stafford got the snap. He tossed it to All-Pro WR Cooper Kupp. Kupp was met with no resistance, as he gained the first down, and then some.

By now, the writing was on the wall. The Rams continued marching down the field.

3 penalties only delayed the inevitable. 2 plays later, Stafford threw Kupp a pass designed for WR Odell Beckham Jr. (who had left the game with an ACL tear), which resulted in the go-ahead TD.

Although the Bengals managed to cause a minute scare in the final 46 seconds, their possession ended in the most predictable manner. Burrow getting sacked by Aaron Donald, causing a turnover on downs.

With that, the Los Angeles Rams were crowned world champions. The Bengals went home wondering if they would ever reach the heights of this season.

In the media, Burrow was labelled as the next Dan Marino. Despite his obvious talent, it was certain his OL would work as a limiting factor to his development. He was sacked 70 times throughout the season, third-most in the history of the NFL, and sacked 7 times in the Superbowl, tying the record set by Roger Staubach's Dallas Cowboys.

The odds were also stacked against the Bengals. The opening line favoured them to win fewer than 10 games.

In recent weeks, the oddsmakers have given the Bengals +2200 odds to do one better than last season, which are the 11th highest odds, and are longer odds than their division and state rivals, the Cleveland Browns.

On the bright side, the Bengals have beefed up their OL, by adding OG Alex Cappa, OT La'El Collins, and C Ted Karras, which, in my opinion, makes this OL an average one at the very least.

In the draft, the Bengals could select Georgia's DL Devonte Wyatt, Florida's CB Kaiir Elam, or even Auburn's CB Roger McCreary, all of whom would be home-run picks.

With the season now roughly 6 months away, the Bengals, yet again, find the odds set against them. However, if it is up to me, I will not bet against these Bengals.

Sources - FiveThirtyEight, DraftKings, Vegas Insider