How Joe Burrow dragged the Bengals from also-rans to charismatic contenders

Cincinnati had been predictably underwhelming for years before a young quarterback with swagger and ability turned things around

There is something remarkable about Joe Burrow. Call it an aura, call it swagger, call it what you want. In the abstract, talk of an it factor' feels like a whole lot of blathering to explain the unexplainable: His Cincinnati team playing above their understood talent level. And then you watch the games, and you see it: Tough to identify; impossible to ignore.

Burrow has rejuvenated a sorry Cincinnati franchise who, up until the quarterback's arrival in 2020, had laid their claim to fame as being the cheapest, most stable presence in the league. They rarely hit rock bottom, lows were always accompanied by flashes that the good times were around the corner: The heady days of the Carson Palmer-Chad Johnson era; five-straight trips to the playoffs (and five-straight losses) behind Marvin Lewis, Andy Dalton, and a stacked roster.