They won the AFC Championship Game and went to Super Bowl and followed that with losing the AFC Championship Game. That's better than most teams. That's better than anything Bengals have ever done before in their franchise history.

I'll point out the 2 Super Bowl teams had home field through the play-offs in Philly and KC. Having watched 1981 and 1988 Bengals, home field through the play-offs helps. Bengals had to play on the road to beat Tennessee and Kansas City and Super Bowl was a home game for Rams in Los Angeles. Bengals had to play on the road to beat Buffalo and again at Kansas City where they lost in a last second field goal.

Now with Super Bowl off the table. I hope Tobin and coaches get on plane and go to Senior Bowl, but for most part team takes a much needed break and spends time with their families.

As for Kansas City, Bengals played them 4 times in 13 months, and Bengals won 3 of the 4. Nothing to be ashamed of there. Mahomes finally won one on a last second drive.

So Bengals lost at Jets in 2021, and season looked falling apart, but Bengals got hot and went to Super Bowl that sadly was played in the other teams home stadium also. Then Bengals started 2022 with Burrow coming off surgery and questionable for start of season. Bengals started 4-4 losing some close games, but after the at Cleveland on Halloween disaster, the Bengals did not look Play-Offs. Again Bengals got hot and won 10 games in a row against a very tough group of teams. Almost no easy games. Season ends on a last second field goal in AFC Championship.

So I'm very proud of what Bengals have done the last 2 seasons. Best 2 seasons this franchise has ever had. Certainly the 30 years without a play-off win is over. Just as the players need a break from Bengals now, so do the Fans. It's a long way before September. As for now, Bengals Fans can be proud of this team the last 2 years, I know I am.

Of the 5 games they lost this season, they lost 4 of them on field goals on the last play of the game. The margin for all 4 games was a combined 11 points. They were only out of 1 game.
This team performed over and above expectations. We should be proud of them

Bittersweet and aggravating way to end the season, but overall yes we as a fanbase should be quite proud of these guys. Gave it their all and I expect us to be AFC contenders once again next season.

(01-30-2023, 01:39 PM)pally Wrote: Of the 5 games they lost this season, they lost 4 of them on field goals on the last play of the game. The margin for all 4 games was a combined 11 points. They were only out of 1 game.
This team performed over and above expectations. We should be proud of them

Yep, and they didn’t have any “walk off” wins, so they either lost on the last play or won semi comfortably. They will be competing for years.

With Burrow at the helm and better blockers, I have no doubt the Bengals will win a Super Bowl in due time. Winning 3 out of 4 against the Chiefs is commendable and we've done it with a serious handicap. 

(01-30-2023, 01:33 PM)kevin Wrote: They won the AFC Championship Game and went to Super Bowl and followed that with losing the AFC Championship Game.  That's better than most teams.  That's better than anything Bengals have ever done before in their franchise history.

I'll point out the 2 Super Bowl teams had home field through the play-offs in Philly and KC.  Having watched 1981 and 1988 Bengals, home field through the play-offs helps.  Bengals had to play on the road to beat Tennessee and Kansas City and Super Bowl was a home game for Rams in Los Angeles. Bengals had to play on the road to beat Buffalo and again at Kansas City where they lost in a last second field goal.

Now with Super Bowl off the table. I hope Tobin and coaches get on plane and go to Senior Bowl, but for most part team takes a much needed break and spends time with their families.  

As for Kansas City, Bengals played them 4 times in 13 months, and Bengals won 3 of the 4.  Nothing to be ashamed of there.  Mahomes finally won one on a last second drive.  

So Bengals lost at Jets in 2021, and season looked falling apart, but Bengals got hot and went to Super Bowl that sadly was played in the other teams home stadium also.  Then Bengals started 2022 with Burrow coming off surgery and questionable for start of season. Bengals started 4-4 losing some close games, but after the at Cleveland on Halloween disaster, the Bengals did not look Play-Offs.  Again Bengals got hot and won 10 games in a row against a very tough group of teams. Almost no easy games.  Season ends on a last second field goal in AFC Championship.

So I'm very proud of what Bengals have done the last 2 seasons.  Best 2 seasons this franchise has ever had. Certainly the 30 years without a play-off win is over.  Just as the players need a break from Bengals now, so do the Fans. It's a long way before September. As for now, Bengals Fans can be proud of this team the last 2 years, I know I am.

   

Well said. I tried and failed to find the thread at the beginning of the season regarding what people thought would constitute a "successful season" in their mind. I'm betting making the AFC Championship would have equaled or surpassed almost everyone's expectations. 

(01-30-2023, 01:39 PM)pally Wrote: Of the 5 games they lost this season, they lost 4 of them on field goals on the last play of the game. The margin for all 4 games was a combined 11 points. They were only out of 1 game.
This team performed over and above expectations. We should be proud of them

3 points is the most common margin of victory in the NFL. A loss is a loss... But I'm proud of our team too. We'll be back next year.

(01-30-2023, 07:49 PM)Emphasis Wrote: With Burrow at the helm and better blockers, I have no doubt the Bengals will win a Super Bowl in due time. Winning 3 out of 4 against the Chiefs is commendable and we've done it with a serious handicap. 

I've been saying to my friends for weeks... Say this out loud... "We beat the Chiefs 4 times in a row.". That's a tall f'n order.

They got us. It happens.

Hopefully we can keep our staff together. Several free agents seem to want to stay. Several are gonna want to join us for less money to play for Zac and Joe and Lou on the defensive side. We are going to lose some players each year but there’s a lot that want to join us. Our reputation with Free Agents that have joined us under Taylor and are playing for Joe on offense and Lou on defense has skyrocketed. With the opportunity of making a Super Bowl looming we will be fortunate there. We will also keep some but it’s a business. We will lose players like Bates and Pratt.

The OL was gelling until Collins got hurt. Hopefully Dax Hill does well replacing Bates and Awouzie comes back healthy. If we can resign our key guys we should challenge again.

I’m fine with it. Hope to get over the hump sooner rather later but they have a chance every year. That was never the case.

No rebuild, just reload.

Yes a sad loss but never prouder to be a Bengal. Good times ahead.

Know Burrow said the window is open his entire career, and it is.

But next season is still a golden window of opportunity, after that we will have to get creative. But have all the confidence in this coaching staff and new FO that they will be very creative and keep us in the upper tiers of teams.

Again though, we can roll the dice hard for another season and so looking forward to it.

I’m 53. The Bengals are 54. Last night sucked and the Super Bowl loss last year sucked. But, honestly the last two years have been my most enjoyable years as a fan. Keep working on that offensive line and get us a fast game changing edge rusher and we’re Super Bowl bound next year. Who Dey.

Today has been horrible, from waking up I’ve just been constantly thinking for **** sake in my head.

It was in our hands and end of the day we simply weren’t good enough.

Proud of how far we’ve come in the past 2 years but until we finally win it all we are gonna be looked down on by the media and it pisses me off because this team could and should have done more the past couple of years.

It’s gonna be a long old wait until September now but with a few new additions I’m confident we will finally do it next season.

I was sick all day and finally had to call 911 as game was coming on. So at ER the nurse put game on TV for me, that was nice. So as they did tests on me and rule out stroke and such, i saw some of game. From what I saw, I thought game was going overtime, but Mahomes made a last minute drive to get them in field goal range. The kick looked like it would have went through even without the penalty. I didn't like The Do Over by Refs when Bengals forced a 4th down punt, but Chiefs got another 3rd down because Refs had messed something up. Still, Chiefs didn't score on that drive. It seemed Boyd getting injured hurt Bengals moving the ball also.

So my day after, I was just glad to be home from ER at age 68. My view of the game then more happy to be alive. The big guy in the ambulance was a Browns Fan, but he was a good guy. In that situation, you don't care if the ambulance person is a Steelers Fan or not. At Hospital, it seemed doctors and nurses were trying to grab parts of Bengals game when possible, Mahomes got us. Playing in Kansas City helped them.

I am not into this All or Nothing. In that baseball movie Money Ball, I agree with some, but not all. I think Billy Bean saying that if you don't win the World Series or Super Bowl, that it's a bad season, I don't agree at all with that. Now the Bengals losing almost all their game were bad seasons. The Reds losing 100 games last year was a bad season. Giving Fans a team to be excited about all season and going to play-offs is a good season. Winning AFC North 2 years in a row are good seasons.

So I agree with some of The Money Ball movie on baseball, except for the no bunting and no stealing and defense doesn't matter and the concept that only the team that wins World Series had a good season and every other team stinks, I don't agree with that. When the Super Bowl is over, I will not agree that one team had a good season and 31 teams stunk. I don't agree with that. I do agree with the start of movie that team has to meet it's salary cap making tough choices,

I know sports is an All or Nothing philosophy often, but let's not get too carried away with that. The fact is The Bengals have gave the Fans 2 seasons to enjoy with big wins over good teams. The best 2 seasons back to back in Bengals franchise history. We had nice wins to enjoy, up to the win at Buffalo. I think Fans can wear their Bengals hoodies and things with Pride in public. In the AFC Championship 2 year in a row is no small thing.

I may or may or may not watch Kansas City vs Philly. I'm kind of ready to see if Reds have a better April than last year, which should be possible considering how awful they were last April. But The Bengals are no longer the doormats of the NFL. The last 2 seasons make them an elite team. For all the Buffalo hype at start of season, they didn't make it to AFC Championship 2 years in a row like Bengals did.

Yes, I would have loved Bengals winning Super Bowl, but too many road games, the teams that played at home are going, KC and Phily, showing Home Field does Help. ....But Bengals just had their 2 best years back to back in franchise history, back to back AFC Championship Game seasons, and that is something to be proud of. As I said, I do not agree with Billy Bean movie on some things, and I think Bengals had 2 seasons we can be proud of.

That said, the AFC North will get tougher, next season will be no piece of cake. Burrow gives us a Peyton Manning type though, becoming great at changing plays at line of scrimmage as he reads the defense, no longer in rookie mode. I'm proud of our Bengals I'm not proud of my Bengals Fantasy team I drafted, I finished last place, I drafted awful WR's. Must do better next draft. I am proud of our Bengals, many said the rough second half of schedule would clobber Bengals, but Bengals went on a 10 game win streak against those tough teams. Bengals swept the NFC South and swept the AFC East also.

Very proud. We just felt so close to winning the Super Bowl it's also equally disappointing. I do feel our window is still wide open, but you never know. Look at Dan Marino, made it to the Super Bowl early and never went again I believe.

(01-31-2023, 06:54 AM)CarolinaBengalFanGuy Wrote: Look at Dan Marino, made it to the Super Bowl early and never went again I believe.

Look at John Elway. He lost his first 3 Super Bowl appearances, and then went on to win the next 2.

I swear, the next time I hear another Bengals fan bring up Marino I’m going to puke. Let’s let our opposition/haters be the doubters.

Yes definitely in perspective it's a terrific time to be a Bengals fan.

- Back-to-back Division Titles
- Back-to-back AFCC games
- A trip to the Superbowl
- Lots of exciting games and moments
- Playoff atmosphere in Paul Brown (Paycor) stadium that was electric two years running
- A lot of young star players

Man,, good times, and only looking up; hopefully to another trip to a Superbowl and a Lombardi trophy!

I think the goal next year really has to be that Number 1 seed. We can’t come out slow in the beginning of the season because you have to wonder if the Outcome is different at home.

Proud of this team and it sure beats 4-6 win seasons and first round playoff exits.