CINCINNATI -- In recent seasons, the Cincinnati Bengals were among the teams considered contenders to win the AFC. That might not be the case entering the 2025 season.
After two consecutive seasons without postseason play, the Bengals are trying to get back to the division- and championship-winning form they showed in 2021 and 2022. And the lack of recent success appears to have dinged the team's perception.
"I certainly think that the narrative surrounding our team has shifted," quarterback Joe Burrow said on Wednesday. "I'm not sure I would say most to prove. I would say that we certainly are trying to go out and win as much as we can. We're putting in a lot of work for it."
Last season marked the first time Burrow played in every game of the season and Cincinnati failed to make the playoffs. The Bengals went 9-8 and were eliminated from postseason contention on the final week of the regular season.
Career years from Burrow, wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase and defensive end Trey Hendrickson were squandered as a combination of factors led to Cincinnati missing the playoffs.
The shift in external perception isn't lost on veteran safety Tycen Anderson.
"Honestly, we get a little sense of it," Anderson told ESPN after Wednesday's practice. "Obviously, we know that last season was disappointing on our side of the ball, but we don't really care what everybody's saying. We know we got the guys in here that's going to get the job done."
Cincinnati opens the season Sunday against the Cleveland Browns. Since 2019, the Bengals have just one win in the opening two weeks of the season, the worst winning percentage in the NFL during that span of games.
Before Wednesday's practice, coach Zac Taylor was asked about managing the rising external expectations, especially for a team that has a quarterback of Burrow's caliber.
In 2021, Burrow's second season in the league, Cincinnati lost the Super Bowl to the Los Angeles Rams. The Bengals followed that up with a repeat trip to the AFC Championship Game in 2022, where they lost a rematch with the Kansas City Chiefs.
That success, followed by the lack of postseason trips in each of the past two years, sets the context for Cincinnati's upcoming season.
"What we expect from ourselves is to be the best and to be at the top at the end," Taylor said. "And so there is no external anything anybody can say or think that's different than the pressure we put on ourselves."
Having Burrow at full strength to start the season will be a first for Cincinnati since his rookie year in 2020, which featured no preseason games and restrictive COVID-19 protocols.
From a health standpoint, he believes he's in a good spot heading into his sixth NFL season. And he's excited to prove the Bengals have the potential to outperform expectations.
"Showing everyone the work you put in over the last eight months to make yourself better in front of the world, that's what sports are," Burrow said. "That's why we love them. And I'm excited to put on a show."