The Cincinnati Bengals' championship window has tightened up just a bit after last weekend's AFC Championship game loss.
Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow has said that his championship window is his entire career. That reflects the team's standard of not just reaching but winning the Super Bowl after coming up just short in last year's Super Bowl.
But Sunday's loss to the Chiefs was an opportunity that was just within Cincinnati's reach.
Like last year's Super Bowl, the Bengals were just a drive away from possibly defeating the Chiefs in near walk-off fashion with two timeouts and 2:30 left on the clock. That makes the loss much more frustrating and worth dwelling over what could've been for a team that was riding a 10-game win streak.
Things only get harder for the Bengals internally and externally. On the outside, the AFC is just as competitive, if not more competitive, with the Chiefs, Bills and even the Jaguars among some of the few teams that came close to this year's Super Bowl who could be contenders next year. Furthermore, the Bengals will have some tough decisions to make with Burrow's potential contract extension looming. Depending on how that plays, that will affect how they go about with free agency.
Tight end Hayden Hurst is the only offensive starter whose contract is expiring. Linebacker Germaine Pratt and veteran safeties Vonn Bell and Jessie Bates also have their contracts coming up too, presenting a challenge for the Bengals' defensive nucleus that helped them reach back-to-back AFC title games.
Those are just some of the biggest names though headlining the Bengals' free agents. Cornerbacks Eli Apple and Tre Flowers are on that list, along with running back Samaje Perine, backup quarterback Brandon Allen, punt returner Trent Taylor and kickoff returner Trayveon Williams among the other tier of free agents to name a few.
Does this mean the Bengals' championship window is closing in fast? How much room is left for the franchise to try and get back to the Super Bowl and deliver Cincinnati its first ever championship?
The Strictly Stripes crew opens up the offseason talking about what could've been in Sunday's stunning loss at Arrowhead Stadium and assessing how detrimental that was to the Bengals' title hopes. They also look at where coordinators Lou Anarumo and Brian Callahan fit in the coaching carousel and zoom in specifically on Bates and Pratt.
This podcast features Mohammad Ahmad, Andrew Gillis and Michael Niziolek.
Music: Starfields by Hallman
Music Link: https://www.epidemicsound.com/track/8FjzZG4JFm/
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices