The Cincinnati Bengals posted several losing seasons in a row before last year—and then they went all the way to the Super Bowl, very nearly winning, if not for a late game-winning drive orchestrated by Matthew Stafford and the eventual Super Bowl MVP, Cooper Kupp.
So what exactly does that mean? Who are the Bengals in 2022? What was last season? Did that punch above their weight class, or are they on the cusp of delivering the knockout blow within the next couple of years—if not this year?
If you ask cornerback Mike Hilton, who never experienced a postseason win in his four seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers, the 2021 season was no random occurrence.