Joe Burrow: After last year, we know what it takes to win it all

The Bengals returned to the Super Bowl last season for the first time in 33 years. They don’t plan on waiting that long to get back there this time . . . and they plan on winning this time.

The Bengals came close in Super Bowl LVI, but the Rams held on for a 23-20 win.

It was a successful season for the Bengals, even if they didn’t add a Lombardi Trophy, as Cincinnati was 4-11-1 in 2020.

“Going into last year, we knew we were good, but I think going into the playoffs, we knew we could win but we weren’t really sure what it took,” Burrow said Tuesday, via Ben Baby of ESPN. “We just went out there and played really hard and together as a team, and it worked out.

“Now, we know what it takes and we have that experience in our back pockets going forward.”

Burrow, who won a national championship at LSU, said during the postseason that he was tired of the underdog narrative. But until the Bengals do things they have never done, the stigma isn’t likely to leave.

Cincinnati, picked to finish third in the AFC North in 2022, has never won playoff games in back-to-back seasons.

“We’ve seen it; we’ve done it,” Bengals receiver Tee Higgins said. “And we know what it takes to get back to that point. That’s our standard now. That’s our standard for this team. Ain’t no looking back.”