Joe Burrow is manifesting a Super Bowl season for theCincinnati Bengals.
Literally.
Following joint practicewith the Chicago Bears on Aug. 20, Burrow spokehonestly about his feelings and expectations for the upcoming season, including why he hasn’t shied away from publicly sharing his high expectations for his team this year.
“I’m trying to put it out in the world; I’m trying to manifest it,” Burrow said. “I’m trying to show our guys the urgency that I have, and that I want us to have as an organization to go and make it happen. You can keep pushing it down the road, or you can talk about it now and say this is the year. I’m tired of saying next year, next year, next year. This is it.”
Burrow is turning 30 in December. He’s about to embark on his
seventh season in the NFL and hasn’t played in a playoff game since 2023.
He’s ready to be playing football in late January again, and he believes he has the team to do it with this year.
The Bengals made a concerted effort to re-build their defense this offseason with several marquee signings. None wa bigger than the trade for Pro Bowl defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence who’s made his presence known in every training camp practice.
Burrow likely won’t play in another preseason game. If he doesn’t play against the Philadelphia Eagles on Aug. 28 which he is unlikely to do so, his reps against the Bears in practice were the final time he’ll go up against another opponent before the regular season begins on Sept. 13.
Practice against Chicago was intense, and Burrow came out clean, most importantly. Burrow is not dealing with any nagging injuries during camp this year and says he’s “in a good spot.”
As for how the offense has looked, Burrow says he wants the unit to be more consistent.
“We've shown flashes, but not terribly consistent, and so we have to be better at that, for sure,” he said. “And I definitely play a role in that. So, you know, we have some things to fix, but we got three weeks until the first game, so we still got some time.”
The Bengals have incorporated more plays from the under center formation this summer in hopes of being a more explosive offense. Cincinnati’s focus is improving on the ground, and in turn open up more in the pass game.
Burrow says it’s too early to tell how it’s working, but the team has “invested” in it and he hopes it pays off.
Bengals head coach Zac Taylor said the starters won’t play in Cincinnati’s second preseason game on Aug. 22 against the Bears. In the NFL, it’s rare for starters to play in the third preseason game as it’s typically used for the players competing for final roster spots ahead of the roster cutdown deadline.
It’s why Burrow’s performance against the Bears was so instrumental to his preparation. He says he could go out and play in a game and would be ready now but believes three more weeks will have him at his best.
And that’s exactly what the Bengals need as they try to get back to playoff contention in what is shaping up to be a critical year in Cincinnati.
“I’m trying to instill some urgency and some intensity in everybody to go and be great every day and try to go make it happen,” Burrow said.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Joe Burrow is manifesting a Super Bowl season for Bengals in 2026
