Joe Burrow Says Bengals Weren't Satisfied with Super Bowl 56 Loss, Wants Consistency

The Cincinnati Bengals tasted more success in 2021 than they had in a generation, but that still wasn't enough for star quarterback Joe Burrow.

Appearing Thursday on the Pat McAfee Show, Burrow said he doesn't believe "any of us were satisfied with how the season ended." He cited more consistency and fewer turnovers as areas in which the team needs to improve.

Bengals head coach Zac Taylor struck a similar tone when he told The Athletic's Jay Morrison and Paul Dehner Jr. that "every bad play" from the team's Super Bowl LVI loss to the Los Angeles Rams still sits with him.

"When you’re not the team that wins it all, I think everything haunts you for the entirety of the offseason," Taylor said. "And then you buckle up and get ready to go after it again."

Bengals fans know better than to take anything for granted. The team suffered a heartbreaking defeat to the San Francisco 49ers at Super Bowl XXIII. Then the franchise won just one postseason game over the next three decades.

But there's still the sense that last year's Super Bowl run could be the start of something special in Southwest Ohio. As long as Burrow remains healthy, the Bengals could be in a position to contend every year.

The 25-year-old certainly isn't resting on his laurels after far exceeding expectations in his second season.