The Cincinnati Bengals were projected to finish last in the AFC North this season.
That didn’t happen, as the Bengals won the division and proceeded to go on the road and down the AFC’s top two teams in the NFL playoffs.
Now, they’re playing to hoist the franchise’s first Super Bowl.
It’s their first trip since 1989, so fans have been waiting a while to be back on this stage. Given the electric play and fashion of quarterback Joe Burrow, the second-year star has helped create a host of new Bengals’ fans.