The Cincinnati Bengals endured another disappointing season in 2025. Missing the playoffs for a third consecutive year, Cincinnati finished 6-11, which was its first season below .500 since 2020.

That season marked the end of a brutal stretch for the Bengals. From 2016 through 2020, the franchise not only missed the playoffs all five years, but finished with a losing record each season. Then in 2021, everything changed.

It was Joe Burrow's second season in the NFL, and he was one of the most valuable players in the league. The 25-year-old quarterback led football with a 70.4% completion percentage that season, throwing for 4,611 yards and leading Cincinnati to a Super Bowl appearance. The Bengals would lose a heartbreaker to the Los Angeles Rams, 23-20, but it was the start of what many felt would be a long and successful era of Cincinnati football.

2022 affirmed that belief, when Cincinnati lost to the eventual Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game, again by a final score of 23-20.

However, that run of success ended up being a lot shorter than many anticipated, as the Bengals missed the playoffs in 2023, again in 2024, and, as previously mentioned, last season as well.

Entering this offseason, most of the conversation surrounding Cincinnati was about defense. The team finished 30th out of 32 teams in points allowed last season, which heavily contributed to the overall 6-11 record, as the offense ranked in the top half of the league.

The Bengals have done a lot to address their defense this offseason, bringing in several key pieces via trade and free agency, but perhaps the biggest development entering the new NFL season is the one being talked about the least.

Joe Burrow only played eight games last season. The Bengals went 5-3 in those games and 1-8 in the games he missed. By all accounts, the 29-year-old franchise quarterback is as healthy as ever, and that alone gives the Bengals real reason for optimism.

Even with the defensive struggles, Cincinnati found ways to win games when Burrow was out there last season. The drop-off when he was sidelined was staggering.

Now, this is not some profound observation, as losing a three-time Pro Bowl quarterback would be a significant hit for any team, but when considering how much attention has gone to the defensive side of things for Cincinnati, it isn't being talked about enough that simply a healthy Joe Burrow places this team right back in the postseason mix before factoring in anything else.