Two-Point Conversion: Time Is Now For The Cincinnati Bengals

Last year, they were the hottest team heading into the playoffs. This time, the Cincinnati Bengals are the best team in the playoffs.

I know it has been a while, but the Two-Point Conversion has returned and what better time than as a primer for the Cincinnati Bengals' second straight appearance in the AFC Championship Game. The game is at Burrowhead, I mean Arrowhead Stadium against a team that just can't seem to figure out how to beat Joe Burrow. This is the Bengals' best chance to win a Super Bowl before things start to change.

The Window Isn't Closing...

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Not at all. Like Burrow said, the window is his career and we have no reason to believe otherwise. 

That doesn't mean things will always be like they are right now. 

Jessie Bates III may be leaving for the big money in free agency and the Bengals have already said they want to lock up Burrow as soon as possible. That means there will be decisions made on players like Tee Higgins, Joe Mixon, DJ Reader, Trey Hendrickson, and Sam Hubbard. While the Bengals and their fans would love to keep all these guys, the business side says it's not likely. 

The Bengals did exactly what the new NFL is designed to do—capitalize on an elite quarterback during his rookie contract. That way money can be spent on other positions to make the roster as packed with talent as they possibly can. The reality of the situation is that fellow AFC North rival Cleveland broke the quarterback market and the Bengals are going to have shell out an incredible load of money for Burrow thanks to what the Browns did with Deshaun Watson. It's just not going to be possible to lock up Burrow for what the market will dictate and pay everyone else as well.

Ja'Marr Chase won't go anywhere, but Higgins could end up elsewhere. A team will back up the Brinks truck for him to be their number one and he can be exactly that for at least ten franchises as of this moment.

I'm not saying any of this to be a "Debbie Downer." In fact, it's quite the opposite. What the Bengals have built is unlike anything Cincinnati has ever seen and for it to all come to fruition with the group that started what could be a decade of sustained success and contention, this is the time to break through. And things couldn't line up for them any better.

...The Next Great Rivalry

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I was talking to a friend of mine the other day and started to look at the way Burrow vs Patrick Mahomes has played out so far. All I can think of is all those years of Tom Brady vs Peyton Manning and how Manning just couldn't ever break through. That's what this is shaping up to be.

There have been a lot of quarterbacks over the years that have garnered the media comparisons to Brady, but Burrow is it. His approach to the game, the laser focus, the unshakable demeanor: he's the next Brady.

I think Bengals fans would be more than content if Burrow ended his career with even half the postseason success Brady has had because that still puts Burrow in the upper tier of the greatest quarterbacks of all time. Shoot - the Green Bay Packers had 31 consecutive seasons of Hall Of Fame quarterback play and have two championships and three Super Bowl appearances to show for it. The Bengals could pass those numbers within the next five seasons.

The one thing standing in his way right now is a team that has made the conference championship five straight years. That's as many times as Manning and Aaron Rodgers have in their entire careers and Mahomes has done it five straight years.

I firmly believe the Bengals are the best overall team remaining in the playoffs and if they get past the Chiefs, they will finish as the Super Bowl Champions. That's not a phrase I ever thought I would say having watched this team for my entire 37 years of life. They're just built different.

But so are the Chiefs.

This has all the makings of an instant classic—just like last season. These are two of the best quarterbacks the NFL has had to offer over the last decade and they will drive the bus for the next decade. Yes, Burrow has never lost to Mahomes, but don't for one second underestimate the Chiefs. There is a first time for everything and at some point, the Chiefs will get the win.

But not this time.

Maybe the backups along the offensive line took the criticisms and concerns personally, leading to an inspired performance. Maybe Eli Apple is sick of being called burnt toast on Twitter and is ready to elevate his play. Maybe the bitter taste and broken hearts of Super Bowl LVI are still prevalent so the Bengals refuse to go through that kind of pain again. Or maybe–just maybe–the Bengals are the best team out of the final four and are ready to claim what's theirs.

Bengals Extra Point

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The Cincinnati Bengals can become the first team in NFL history to win back-to-back conference championships on the road with a win on Sunday and they've never lost a conference championship game in team history (3-0).

Cincinnati fights Kansas City for a spot in the Super Bowl this Sunday at 6:30 p.m. ET on CBS. The game is available via fuboTV—start your free trial here.

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