The Bengals weren’t supposed to make it this far – not yet, anyway
It’s been clear for a bit now that they’re building something sustainable, but no one outside of Cincinnati expected them to be Super Bowl-bound this quickly.
Their journey from mediocre to magical mirrors that of the 2001-2002 Patriots in many ways.
The year before that Super Bowl, the Patriots finished 5-11 and last in the AFC East. The Bengals were 4-11 last year before making a surprise surge this season.
New England entered that season with +6000 odds to win the Super Bowl, which was the seventh-lowest in the NFL, and a win total over-under of 6.