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The Bengals won four games last season and were one of the last two teams standing the very next year. Yes, they lost in the Super Bowl, but they arrived so far ahead of schedule that there are lessons to be learned about how a moribund franchise can rise in a matter of months from AFC punching bag to a team that was less than two minutes from becoming the NFL champion.
Of course, not every team can put a quarterback the quality of Joe Burrow on the field. Still, the Bengals showed how quickly a team can reverse years of losing. And in that, maybe the Giants, coming off a 4-13 season, can find some reason for optimism.
“It just goes to show you that every year is different,” Giants running back Saquon Barkley said from Los Angeles last week, between appearances at the Super Bowl’s Radio Row. “We have the talent. We’re bringing in the right coaching staff. We’re bringing the right players in. We’re going to make it work.”