The 2018 NBA Finals have been all about the underdog story. The Golden State Warriors, who are favored to win the series in 5 games by nearly 8 points per game, had to come from behind twice and still need a deciding Game 7 victory tonight at home. What we’ve seen this postseason has been nothing short of inspirational for fans across sports and beyond.,
The “Kansas City Chiefs” is a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. They are members of the Western Division of the American Football Conference (AFC) in the National Football League (NFL). The team has had three head coaches since their first season in 1960: Hank Stram, Jack Pardee, and Marty Schottenheimer. Read more in detail here: kansas city chiefs.
Repeat the cycle of pain, agony, and heartbreak. For Cincinnati sports fans, it is the only way to explain the last three decades.
From Carson Palmer’s knee injury in the 2005 NFL Playoffs to the Cincinnati Reds losing a 2-0 series lead in the 2012 NLDS, there has been a lot of drama in the NFL playoffs. Oh, and don’t forget about the time Vontaze Burfict and Adam “Pacman” Jones piled up back-to-back penalties against the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2016, blowing a late Wild Card Round lead. Fans in the Queen City have had a difficult three decades.
On Sunday evening, though, everything changed. For the first time since 1988, the Cincinnati Bengals will compete in the Super Bowl.
In the year 2020, Joe Burrow was crowned King of Cincinnati.
Without going back to April 23, 2020, you can’t look at the Cincinnati Bengals’ incredible run. When all hope appeared to be gone in the midst of a pandemic, the Bengals selected Joe Burrow as their new franchise quarterback.
That man was intended to be Carson Palmer. Then there’s Andy Dalton. Burrow’s choice, on the other hand, seemed unique. After growing up in Ohio and playing at Ohio State, he was the reigning Heisman Trophy winner and had led LSU to a national title.
It felt as though it was fate.
Bengals fan Austin Elmore, who is a host/producer for ESPN1530 and 700WLW in Cincinnati, remarked, “I felt he would give something that this club hadn’t had.” “It didn’t take long for me to see how he lifted others around him was different. He gave this franchise new life.”
Burrow had a fantastic start to his first season. He took over a squad that had gone 2-14 the year before, but he made it appear competent. His first season was cut short by a season-ending knee injury, and the Bengals finished 4-11-1.
Then followed one of the most crucial offseasons in organization history, complete with a discussion that went beyond “Skyline or Goldstar?” (Skyline. Skyline is always present.) With the No. 5 overall choice in the 2021 NFL Draft, who did the Bengals plan to select? Ja’Marr Chase or Penei Sewell, the offensive lineman?
The squad has reached new heights thanks to Ja’Marr Chase.
The argument in town leading up to the 2021 NFL Draft was between Chase and Sewell. Burrow’s biggest weapon at LSU was the former, while Sewell would have provided the quarterback with the necessary protection (and still needs).
“I was on the Chase bandwagon in the preseason,” said Jake Liscow, host of the Locked On Bengals podcast. “I believed Chase had the ability to change the offense and uncover Burrow’s deep game.” Sewell would be a good player, but I didn’t think he’d have the same effect.”
The Bengals picked Chase, as you may know, in what has become one of the front office’s most important selections.
Cincinnati’s offense has reached new heights thanks to the dynamic wideout. This year, with Burrow healthy, the former Tigers have demolished their opponents. With 4,611 yards, 34 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions, Burrow could have been a Pro Bowler, while Chase, who seems to shatter records every week, was the most explosive rookie in his class with 81 catches for 1,455 yards and 13 touchdowns.
These two, along with Tee Higgins, Joe Mixon, and Tyler Boyd, helped the Bengals have one of the most dynamic offenses in the NFL this season. And on defense, players like Trey Hendrickson, Logan Wilson, and Jessie Bates III perfectly balanced the offense to help Cincinnati to a 10-7 record and the AFC North championship.
The Bengals have finally broken their playoff drought and are on their way to a deep postseason run.
On Jan. 15, 2022, a Cincinnati Bengals fan reacts following the team’s Wild Card Round victory against the Las Vegas Raiders. | Getty Images/Icon Sportswire/Ian Johnson
Since the 1990 season, the Bengals have not won a playoff game. It was dubbed “The Bo Jackson Curse” by fans. With a 26-19 victory against the Las Vegas Raiders in the AFC Wild Card Round, Joe Burrow and company put it to rest. They then defeated the No. 1-seeded Tennessee Titans in the Divisional Round on a game-winning field goal by rookie Evan McPherson (drafting a kicker is always a good idea).
The AFC Championship Game versus the Kansas City Chiefs, on the other hand, was a whole other issue. It was Kansas City’s fourth participation in the event, and the squad had also been in the previous two Super Bowls.
As a result, Kansas City’s 21-3 advantage was concerning.
“I was scared down 21-3,” Nicole Zembrodt, a writer for Sports Illustrated’s All Bengals, said. “This Bengals squad, on the other hand, is unique. With Burrow guiding the way, hope was not utterly gone.”
If there was one thing the Cincinnati Bengals learned this season, it was to never count Burrow out. The former Athens High School quarterback assisted the Bengals in rallying to a 24-21 lead before prevailing 27-24 in overtime on another McPherson punt.
“With Joe, you never feel out of a game,” said “Bengal Jim” Foster, who was honored Fan of the Year by the club in October. “… There is no fear among the players or among the fans. With Joe and this gang, we’re never out of it as fans.”
The Bengals will return to the Super Bowl for the first time in franchise history. And fans will now be able to put their years of sadness and agony behind them.
Bengals supporters from previous generations may finally rejoice.
On Jan. 15, 2022, Bengals supporters celebrate their team’s Wild Card Round victory against the Las Vegas Raiders. | Getty Images/Icon Sportswire/Ian Johnson
The Cincinnati Bengals haven’t been in a Super Bowl in 33 years. Many admirers had seen them lose their whole lives.
“It’s a huge deal for the fan base.” I was born in the year 1988. “I was half-a-year old the last time the Bengals got to the Super Bowl,” Liscow remarked.
Others have waited decades to see a successful squad once again.
Tony “Da Tiger” Brooks, who has attended every Bengals game this season and is renowned among fans for painting his face like a tiger, said, “It’s incredible; it’s been so long.” “This was necessary for the team, the supporters, and the city.” It was all at once emotional, exhilarating, and OMG.”
Sure, the heartache times were difficult, but they just added to the sweetness of this run.
“When I think about this, I think about my father, and how I’ve always worried whether he’d have another opportunity to watch the Bengals play in the Super Bowl, much alone win one,” Elmore said. “What this organization has accomplished in the previous 12 months, both on and off the field, is nothing short of incredible.”
Simply stated, this means “everything” to the city, according to Emily Witt, who formerly worked as a live content coordinator for the NFL and snapped images of the Bengals.
“When I drafted Burrow, I thought the organization was ready for a change and that we’d be seeing some winning seasons soon, but I didn’t anticipate anything this quickly,” she added. “… Everything that is going on right now is for the benefit of the city and the fans.” “As a 27-year-old, I’ve never seen any of my teams get this far.”
Now is the moment for Joe Burrow and his team to pull off the impossible. It’s time for the squad to return to Cincinnati with the Vince Lombardi Trophy.
Pro Football Reference provided the statistics.
Following the AFC Championship Game, Bengals CB Eli Apple ignites a fiery Twitter feud with Chiefs star Tyreek Hill, saying, “He’s a Baby.”
“The Bengal defense” is a phrase that has been used by many people in the past to describe the team, fans, and city of the Baltimore Ravens. The term was coined during their Super Bowl winning season in 2001. Reference: bengal defense.
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