Fresh off the franchise’s first Super Bowl appearance in over 30 years, the Bengals are looking to repeat and build on that success in 2022. To do that, they’ll need to improve greatly in one key area: Keep Joe Burrow upright.
The star quarterback was sacked a league-high 51 times last year, and already had suffered a torn ACL during a battered-and-bruised rookie season. Burrow was hounded by the Rams pass rush during the Super Bowl and suffered a sprained MCL in the process, though did not require surgery this time.
Cincinnati also must improve on a middle-of-the-pack defense that ranked 18th in yards allowed per game (350.8) and 17th in points (22.1). The team used five of its six draft picks this year on defensive players, headlined by three defensive backs: safety Daxton Hill (pick No. 31), cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt (No. 60) and safety Tycen Anderson (No. 166).
