INGLEWOOD, Calif. — The Cincinnati Bengals' remarkable, worst(since 2018)-to-first 2021 campaign concluded with a 23-20 loss in Super Bowl 56, the closest this organization has come to winning a championship in its 54-season history.
A play here or there, and the Bengals would have become the 21st of the NFL's 32 franchises to capture the Lombardi Trophy. Yet the future seems bright for a promising roster led by quarterback Joe Burrow, 25, who just completed his second season in the league.