The 2024 NFL season was a tale of two halves for the Cincinnati Bengals.
After the first half of the year, it seemed like this team could finish the season with a record well below .500, potentially being one of the worst teams in the league.
They turned things around in a big way during the second half of the season, as Joe Burrow led the way to some spectacular performances on offense.
It wasn’t enough of a push for the Bengals to make the playoffs, but it was encouraging for fans to see this team click and look like they did in prior seasons.
As the Bengals found out, having a slow start in a loaded AFC is nearly impossible to come back from, which is why they might be changing their strategy heading into the 2025 campaign.
Lindsey Thiry recently commented on the Bengals’ upcoming plans on NFL Live on ESPN, saying, “Joe Burrow is actually planning to play more in the preseason than he ever has before.”
“Joe Burrow is actually planning to play more in the preseason than he ever has before.”
—@LindseyThiry on how the Bengals are looking to change their slow starts 👀 pic.twitter.com/qopFqLbc2w
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) July 24, 2025
Star players don’t typically log many minutes in the preseason, especially quarterbacks, but the Bengals saw what happened in 2024 and are striving to find better results.
Having Burrow suit up for more preseason games could make him more vulnerable to injury, but it’s a risk they’re willing to take if it means getting back to the Super Bowl.
Fans saw what this team was capable of in the second half of the 2024 campaign, and with any luck, this new strategy will allow them to start 2025 with that same firepower.
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