Ravens rival Joe Burrow compares Bengals to 2019 LSU title team
· Yahoo Sports
Joe Burrow is not easing into the 2026 season, and that should get the attention of the Ravens and everyone else in the AFC North. On Wednesday via ESPN, the Bengals quarterback said this week that Cincinnati’s current team gives him a feeling similar to the one he had before his historic 2019 season at LSU, when he led the Tigers to a national championship and produced one of the most decorated campaigns in college football history. Burrow made the comparison after spending an extra hour on the practice field Tuesday and following it with an extended throwing session Wednesday, the Bengals’ final workday at Paycor Stadium before training camp begins in mid-July.
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“Just trying to get better, man,” Burrow said.
That theme carried through much of Burrow’s news conference, where urgency was impossible to miss. Cincinnati finished 6-11 last season and has missed the playoffs in three straight years, a stunning decline for a franchise that once looked positioned to be one of Baltimore’s biggest long-term obstacles in the AFC. The Bengals responded this offseason aggressively, trading the No. 10 overall pick for Pro Bowl defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence and restructuring Burrow’s contract to create an additional $10 million in cap space for 2026.
Burrow said there is “certainly” urgency inside the building, and he welcomed the expectations that come with trying to pull Cincinnati back into contention.
“You go back and watch what I said before the 2019 season at LSU,” Burrow said. “I feel very similarly about this team. I’m so excited to get started and get moving. I wish we ramped this right into training camp so we can continue to improve.
“I feel like there’s so much greatness we’ll be able to achieve this year that I’m just excited to get going.”
For the Ravens, Burrow’s confidence matters because Cincinnati remains dangerous if its quarterback is healthy and protected. Burrow played only eight games last season but still threw for 1,809 yards, 17 touchdowns, and five interceptions with a 100.7 passer rating, a 63.0 QBR, and a Pro Bowl selection. His connection with Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins remains one of the NFL’s most difficult passing-game challenges. Chase and Higgins combined for 184 receptions, 2,258 yards, and 19 touchdowns last season, with Chase posting 125 catches for 1,412 yards and eight scores.
The Bengals retained coach Zac Taylor and general manager Duke Tobin in hopes that continuity, Burrow’s health, and a more aggressive approach to the roster can reverse the slide. Burrow is under contract through 2029, but conversation about Cincinnati’s future has not stopped as the franchise tries to prove its previous Super Bowl window has not closed.
Burrow sounded eager to lean into that pressure rather than soften it.
“Put pressure on guys,” Burrow said. “I love it. I thrive in it. We’ll find out who else does. I know we have the kind of people who want to be in that spot. I want everybody talking about the Bengals. I want everybody talking about what I’m saying in my press conferences.”
That is exactly what will happen after comparing the Bengals to the 2019 LSU team. Cincinnati still has major questions to answer after three straight years outside the postseason, but Burrow’s mindset is clear. He believes the Bengals have enough talent, urgency, and offensive firepower to become relevant again.
For Baltimore, that means the AFC North could become even more complicated. The Ravens still have Lamar Jackson, Derrick Henry, Kyle Hamilton, Roquan Smith, and a roster built to contend, but a revived Burrow would make Cincinnati far more than a team trying to escape the division basement. It would make the Bengals a legitimate threat again.
This article originally appeared on Ravens Wire: Joe Burrow says 2026 Bengals have championship-level potential