Joe Burrow still hurt by missing the playoffs and takes a jab at Patrick Mahomes

The Bengals came very close to making the playoffs

One of the great injustices of the 2024 NFL season was that the Cincinnati Bengals missed the playoffs. By the end of the regular season, they were undoubtedly the most exciting and dangerous offensive team. Joe Burrow was playing in unstoppable mode, but the consequences of their poor start to the season caught up with them.

The Bengals finished the season with five straight wins, but ultimately ended with a 9-8 record-well behind the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers, who led the AFC North. Even though they still had a chance in the final week, they needed to win and for the Denver Broncos to lose. But the Broncos’ opponent, the Kansas City Chiefs, rested their starters, and the Bengals’ hopes were crushed.

Now, the Bengals enter the 2025 season with a thirst for revenge. Although their defense continues to raise questions, having Joe Burrow under center still makes them a major threat to any NFL team.

Joe Burrow is still hurt by what happened last year

Josh Allen was named MVP of last season, though many felt the award should have gone to Lamar Jackson-and others believed that if the Bengals had made the playoffs, there was no doubt the MVP would have gone to Joe Burrow.

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Burrow led the NFL with 4,918 passing yards and also topped the league in touchdown passes with 43-despite being sacked 48 times. Because of those stats, many considered the Bengals quarterback to be the true MVP of 2024.

However, that’s all in the past now. A new season is on the horizon, and Joe Burrow hopes the Bengals will start strong to avoid repeating the same mistakes.

“If I had played even better, we wouldn’t have been in the situation we were in,” he said via Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com. “I just focus on improving myself, and I feel like everyone in the locker room feels the same. If I go out there and play better than I did last year, then it doesn’t matter what happens elsewhere.”

These are the words of a leader taking responsibility, showing that he knows how to handle a tough situation-which will likely make him even more dangerous heading into the 2025 season.

And it won’t be easy: they’ll have to face Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens twice again, possibly Aaron Rodgers a couple of times if he signs with the Pittsburgh Steelers, and potentially even Shedeur Sanders if he gets a starting role at some point with the Browns.