Bengals' Joe Burrow aware that the 'narrative surrounding our team has shifted'

Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals know the results haven't been good enough on the field over the past two seasons.

They set the expectations high for themselves with a Super Bowl run in 2021. They made it back to the AFC Championship Game the next season, which seemed to indicate that they were ready to fight with the Kansas City Chiefs in the loaded AFC.

Those tremendous seasons were followed by two campaigns in a row that saw the Bengals not even make the playoffs, though. Now heading into year six of the Burrow era and year seven of Zac Taylor's run as head coach, the Bengals are looking to turn the perception of their team around.

They want to be seen as contenders again, instead of pretenders.

Joe Burrow and Cincinnati Bengals looking to get back to winning

"I certainly think that the narrative surrounding our team has shifted," Burrow said on Wednesday, according to Ben Baby of ESPN. "I'm not sure I would say most to prove. I would say that we certainly are trying to go out and win as much as we can. We're putting in a lot of work for it."

The Bengals should have a team that can be a contender. Burrow is one of the top quarterbacks in the game, and they have several superstars on the roster.

Ja'Marr Chase has never had a season with under 1,000 receiving yards in four years, and he's coming off a 2024 season that saw him catch a career-high 127 passes for 1,708 yards and 17 touchdowns.

On the defensive side of the ball, the offseason contractual drama with defensive end Trey Hendrickson came to a resolution when he agreed to a $14 million pay raise for the 2025 season.

He's coming off two seasons in a row with 17.5 sacks.

It all starts and ends with Joe Burrow for the Bengals

The Bengals have the pieces to be a contender, and it starts with having a star quarterback in Burrow.

There's pressure on this squad to get over the hump and get it done, but that starts with making the playoffs. There's no reason such a talented team shouldn't make the playoffs each and every season, so that, at the very least, has to be the expectation in Cincinnati.

It all starts and ends with Burrow, though, and the former LSU quarterback is excited to get back to it in 2025. The Bengals kick off the 2025 season with an away game against the Cleveland Browns in Week 1.

"Showing everyone the work you put in over the last eight months to make yourself better in front of the world, that's what sports are," Burrow said. "That's why we love them. And I'm excited to put on a show."