The reason I believe the Bengals can hang around this conference championship level for the next two seasons is that Burrow is still in his rookie contract. They can add pieces because they will be able to afford them. But when Burrow and Chase hit their 2nd window, dynamics will absolutely change.
But man, when they converted that 3rd and 16 I thought we were witnessing another Super Bowl run in the making. But football is hard. It is extremely difficult when you ground the ball or have no help from the offensive line when you are getting maximum pressure.