National Football League

Is it Super Bowl-or-bust for Joe Burrow, Bengals in 2023?

Updated Jul. 2, 2023 4:39 p.m. ET

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There's no doubt that Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals are an absolute AFC powerhouse, reaching the conference championship game in each of the past two postseasons and making it to the Super Bowl in the 2021-22 NFL season. 

The 26-year-old Pro Bowl quarterback recently detailed how "the sense of urgency has risen" in the Bengals' locker room, noting that the temperature is rising and the pressure is mounting when it comes to Cincy's quest for a Super Bowl ring.

"It's time to take that next step," Burrow said. "I wouldn't say that it's extra motivation, because we're motivated every game, every day, every year. I would say the sense of urgency has risen in that locker room."

That said, is next season Super Bowl-or-bust for Burrow, Ja'Marr Chase, Tee Higgins & Co.? 

It's a no-brainer, if you ask Emmanuel Acho, who argued that it is indeed a must-win season for the Bengals on Friday's edition of "Speak."

"The AFC is about to be competitive for God knows how long," Acho said. "Trevor Lawrence is getting better. Justin Herbert is getting better. Patrick Mahomes is present. Aaron Rodgers — don't know what he will do, but he has an incredibly high ceiling. Deshaun Watson and Cleveland, I believe they will get better. Josh Allen, he could get over the hump. Lamar Jackson, he's present and getting better. You gotta get yours while you can because you never know when you won't be able to get one again. 

"The Bengals have gone to a Super Bowl … [and] to two AFC Championship Games in Joe Burrow's short-lived career. … It's always Super Bowl-or-bust because you never know if that window that you believe will be open in perpetuity is actually going to be open."

On the other hand, cohost LeSean McCoy argued that it's difficult to peg the 2023-24 season as Super Bowl-or-bust, per se, for Cincinnati.

"All these years of playing football and watching it, I don't believe it's either Super Bowl-or-bust," McCoy said. "If that's the case, then every quarterback, every team is Super Bowl-or-bust other than Patrick Mahomes [and the Kansas City Chiefs] … There's only one team that I can say, 'You know what, they're going to be in a Super Bowl.' So I can't really say that for Joe Burrow. 

"One thing that Joe Burrow said that I love [was], 'My window is open as long as I'm here to win a Super Bowl.' So if it's not this year, if it's next year, I think they have the capability of going out there and winning a Super Bowl, but I don't want to say this year is a Super Bowl-or-bust; I can't live like that."

Is this season Super Bowl-or-bust for Joe Burrow, Bengals?

The Bengals boasted one of the best offenses in the NFL last season, averaging 360.5 total yards (eighth in the league) and 26.1 points per game (seventh) in the regular season. Burrow threw for 4,400-plus yards and posted a 100-plus passer rating for a second consecutive season, while Higgins has averaged 1,009.3 receiving yards per season across his three-year NFL career. Both players are eligible for extensions, with Higgins becoming a free agent after the 2023 season. 

Meanwhile, their defense held opponents to just 20.1 points per game, good for sixth in the NFL. The Bengals bulked up their defense on the first two days of the 2023 NFL Draft, selecting defensive end Myles Murphy (No. 28) and defensive backs DJ Turner (No. 60) and Jordan Battle (No. 95). Cincinnati also added offensive tackle and four-time Pro Bowler Orlando Brown Jr. and tight end Irv Smith Jr., among other players in free agency. 

Cincinnati began last season 2-3 but went on to win 10 of its last 11 games to win the AFC North and claim the No. 3 seed in the conference. After beating the Baltimore Ravens and the Buffalo Bills, the Bengals lost to the Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game, 23-20.

The year prior, Cincinnati beat K.C. on the road in overtime in the AFC Championship Game before losing to the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl LVI, 23-20.

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