Back in 2024, during the Week 2 clash between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium, the Bengals came really close to winning against the home team.

But a controversial DPI call gave the Chiefs new life, leading to an angry Joe Burrow slamming his helmet. Cincinnati was leading 25-23 with just 38 seconds left on the clock.

At that moment, Mahomes threw deep to Rashee Rice, who couldn't hang on to the ball. When the Bengals thought they got away with it, the officials flagged that rookie DB Daijahn Anthony for defensive pass interference.

The ruling was that the rookie had made contact with Rice before the ball arrived. It was Anthony’s second DPI penalty of the game, which gave the Chiefs hope.

Burrow had his hands raised in celebration, but when the referee ruled against them, he couldn't believe what had happened. In frustration, he removed his helmet and slammed it to the ground.

The Kansas City Chiefs took advantage of the penalty to turn the game into a 26–25 win, dropping the Bengals to 0-2.

Following the game, Burrow said the loss was "as frustrating [of a loss] as I have had."

Months later, in episode two of Netflix's Quarterback, Burrow offered a fuller picture, admitting the referee had made the correct call.

“In these games, you have calls that go against you, you have calls that go your way. That’s part of football. And if it were me, I would have been upset if I didn’t get that pass interference call,” said Burrow.

Joe Burrow significantly outperformed Patrick Mahomes in that game. He finished the game with 258 yards and two TDs, while Mahomes threw for just 51 yards.

The Bengals couldn't get their hands on the Super Bowl in 2024, and they fell short marginally in 2025. However, this year, Burrow believes they can finally get that shining trophy.

Joe Burrow backs the Bengals to finally end their Super Bowl wait

While having a presser earlier this month, Burrow made an interesting comment. He compared this year's Bengals to his 2019 LSU team.

"You go back and watch what I said before the 2019 season at LSU, I feel very similarly about this team," Burrow said during a recent presser, as per CBS Sports. "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."

For those unaware, the 2019 LSU squad was arguably one of the most dominant college football teams ever. They went 15-0, winning the national championship.

For the past two seasons, the Bengals' defense has been the team's biggest weakness. This year, however, they went on an aggressive shopping spree, landing key free agents like Bryan Cook and Boye Mafe.

They also stunned the league by swinging a blockbuster April trade for Giants defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence.

Cincinnati is prepared for the worst this year. And with Burrow's confidence, it looks like they'll settle for nothing less than a Super Bowl.

Read more at the Cincinnati Bengals Community!

Written by

Suryakant Das

Edited by

Arundhoti Palit