Joe Burrow's winning swagger has turned the Cincinnati Bengals into contenders

By Bucky Brooks
FOX Sports NFL Analyst

"Who dey? Who dey? Who dey think gonna beat dem Bengals?"

"Nobody!"

Before you laugh at the Cincinnati Bengals' popular chant, you might want to check the AFC North standings and see who sits atop the list. After spending the past few years as the laughingstock of the league, the Bengals (5-2) have reemerged as playoff contenders with the potential to make some noise in January.

If you are surprised by the quick turnaround orchestrated by Zac Taylor’s squad, you are not alone. The Bengals were picked as cellar-dwellers by nearly every preseason publication, and skeptics wondered if the embattled head coach was capable of reversing the franchise fortunes after posting a 6-25 mark in his first two seasons on the job.

The questions have quickly subsided, with the Bengals racing to a strong start on the strength of an electric offense and a blue-collar defense that has taken the league by surprise. 

While the team’s biggest supporters were optimistic about a turnaround under Joe Burrow, few could have expected the former No. 1 overall pick to transform into an elite quarterback in his second year on the job after suffering a season-ending knee injury as a rookie. 

Burrow ranks among the top 10 passers in completion percentage (68.9%, ninth), pass yards per game (279.4, 10th), yards per pass attempt (9.2, second), pass touchdowns (17, tied for fourth) and passer rating (108.9, fifth). He is just the fifth QB since 1950 to throw for two or more touchdowns and have a 60-plus completion percentage in each of his team’s first seven games.

The 2019 Heisman winner has quickly adapted to the complexities of NFL defenses, as evidenced by his 68.9% completion rate against the blitz. That is the third-highest completion rate in the NFL and a significant increase from his 59.6% completion rate as a rookie.

Beyond the numbers, the Ohio native has been everything Cincinnati could have hoped for as a franchise quarterback with the swagger and moxie of a champion. Burrow exudes the infectious, athletic arrogance that comes from winning at the highest level as a collegian.

In NFL circles, coaches and scouts covet quarterbacks with blue-chip traits and winning pedigrees based on a "winners win" premise. It's part of a team-building philosophy in which teams acquire players from winning programs due to their understanding of what it takes to be successful at the highest level.

From the commitment, accountability and trust that are needed to win at a high level to the individual sacrifice players must make for the squad to flourish in key moments, teams benefit from adding winning players to the lineup. The additions raise the expectations and standards within the program and produce more wins between the lines.

As a national champion at LSU, Burrow’s confidence and swagger rub off on his teammates. Although he suffered through a rough rookie season, he flashed enough talent and potential to prompt the team to add more firepower to the lineup. 

With more playmakers on the perimeter, Burrow can play point guard for a fast-break offense that keeps the pressure on opponents with its personnel and scheme.

The Bengals defied conventional wisdom to take a pass-catcher over a pass-protector on draft day. They opted to add Ja'Marr Chase to the squad to reunite Burrow with his No. 1 receiver from his championship run in Baton Rouge.

The decision has paid dividends, with Chase quickly emerging as an elite receiver as a rookie. The No. 5 overall pick is the fifth player in the past 35 years with 750-plus receiving yards and a 20-plus yards-per-catch average in the first seven games of a season (Julio Jones, 2016; Steve Smith, 2011; Isaac Bruce, 2000; Jerry Rice, 1989).

Keep in mind, Chase is putting up Hall of Fame-caliber production as a rookie coming off a sabbatical following his choice to be a COVID opt-out during the 2020 season at LSU. The sticky-fingered pass-catcher has become a premier deep threat as one of just six players in the Next Gen Stats era to have a deep reception in seven consecutive games.

With eight deep-ball catches for 354 yards and four touchdowns, Chase has added an explosive element to the Bengals’ offense while elevating Burrow’s game. The QB's deep passing numbers have exploded, with his completion percentage (43.5%, up from 19.5%), yards per attempt (18.9, up from 6.4), touchdown-to-interception ratio (5-2, up from 1-0) and passer rating (93.8, up from 60.9) improving with Chase coming on board.

Considering that No. 1 also leads the NFL in receiving yards against man coverage (400 receiving yards), per PFF, the Bengals’ offense is a different animal since Chase was added to the lineup. 

Think about that. I am suggesting that an offense that already featured a handful of five-star players such as Joe Mixon, Tyler Boyd and Tee Higgins has gone from good to great with the addition of a blue-chip playmaker on the perimeter.

The enhanced firepower in the passing game has given the Bengals more room for a potent rushing attack that revolves around Mixon and Samaje Perine. The former Oklahoma teammates are not on an equal play plan, but their complementary games as blue-collar runners help the Bengals wear opponents down in the fourth quarter while preserving leads.

The offense’s performance, production and potential have dominated the headlines during the Bengals’ rise to prominence, but it is a scrappy defense that gives this team staying power.

Defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo has quietly constructed a top-10 squad with a collection of worker bees thriving as a unit. The Bengals play the kind of team defense that beats up opponents mentally and physically. The team’s creative schemes and punishing style prompt some opponents to make "business" decisions when playing the Bengals.

The thought of the Bengals intimidating teams might make some snicker, but Cincinnati's victory over the Ravens should have opened eyes around the league. The defense not only contained Lamar Jackson & Co. but also stood toe-to-toe with one of the league’s most physical teams.

In the game tape vs. Baltimore, the effort, toughness and physicality of the Bengals' defense stand out. The unit plays hard from snap to whistle, and that relentless effort is part of its individual and collective DNA. The lineup features a bunch of "hard hat and lunch pail" types who have carved out successful careers due to their energetic playing styles and nonstop motors. Guys such as Trey Hendrickson, Larry Ogunjobi, Mike Hilton and Chidobe Awuzie joined a core of blue-collar workers (Vonn Bell, Jessie Bates, Logan Wilson and Sam Hubbard) to give the defense a rugged feel.

The rock-‘em, sock-‘em defense has jelled quickly, with the Bengals the only NFL team to allow 25 points or fewer in each game this season. Part of their success can be attributed to a relentless pass rush that has amassed 19 sacks in seven games after tallying 17 total sacks in 2020.

With the Bengals ranking among the top 10 in points allowed per game (18.3), total yards per game (339.9), yards per play (5.1), red-zone touchdown percentage (55.0) and passer rating (84.8), the AFC North leaders have a defense with the capacity to keep them in games even if the offense is struggling.

The football world is not used to seeing the Bengals sitting at the top of the standings, but these cats are built differently than their predecessors.

If the playoffs had started this week, the Bengals would have held the AFC's No. 1 seed. As surprising as that turnaround is, don't be shocked to see the Bengals as emerging contenders with the potential to swipe the AFC North crown. 

Bucky Brooks is an NFL analyst for FOX Sports and regularly appears on "Speak For Yourself." He also breaks down the game for NFL Network and is a cohost of the "Moving the Sticks" podcast.