It doesn’t seem like that long ago when Joe Burrow burst onto the scene and led the Cincinnati Bengals to a Super Bowl appearance in just his second year. Yet, now Burrow is 29, and the Bengals haven’t made it back to the postseason since 2022.
For a few years, it felt like the Bengals were top candidates to return as one of the strongest contenders in the AFC. Now, it feels like the Bengals, even though they’ve drastically improved the roster on paper, need to prove it before the NFL world starts to buy the hype again.
Michael Irvin Losing Patience with Joe Burrow’s Bengals
One skeptic who is no longer blindly buying what the Bengals are selling is Pro Football Hall of Famer Michael Irvin.
On his “White House Pod,” the Dallas Cowboys legend said it’s time for the Bengals to “show up and play ball.”
“I think we’ve given Cincinnati a little bit of a hall pass,” Irvin said. “Because of the injuries, and so we always talk about, ‘Well, they always start slow.’ Even when they don’t have injuries, they start slow. You know what I’m saying?
“So now we’ve clumped it all on the injuries. No, no, no. It’s time to show up and play ball and make plays and play early. We give all that to Joe Burrow like, ‘You know you got to stay healthy and perform.’ And they haven’t had that.”
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The talent has never been the question in Cincinnati. Now it’s about staying healthy and starting fast.
The guys break down what they need to see from Joe Burrow and the Bengals in 2026 on The White House, now streaming on @netflix. pic.twitter.com/VQtd9oICfA
— The White House Pod (@dawhitehousepod) August 24, 2026
The thing is, when healthy, Burrow has played quite well. In 2024, for example, Burrow led the NFL in passing yards and touchdowns. But the Bengals also ranked 25th in points allowed.
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Last year, Burrow’s Bengals started 2-0, only for him to suffer an injury that limited him to just eight games. While Burrow led his team to a 5-3 record, other Bengals QBs were just 1-8.
Even in PFN’s Impact Score, Burrow ranked as the NFL’s 10th-best quarterback last season. That’s just behind Josh Allen, and just ahead of Patrick Mahomes.
While durability has been a frequent talking point in Cincinnati, it’s fair to say that as long as Burrow is healthy, this team has a chance to win the AFC North again, especially after the other three teams all hired new head coaches this offseason.
Yet, Irvin does not want to hear about potential anymore; it’s “time to show up and play ball.”
