For the Cincinnati Bengals, returning to Super Bowl contention doesn’t require a legendary defense, it simply requires one that stays out of Joe Burrow’s way.

That was the primary takeaway from First Things First analyst Chris Broussard, who argued that Cincinnati’s defense only needs to clear a modest bar for the franchise to make a deep postseason run in 2026.

“Yes, and you have to say this, but if Joe Burrow is healthy for 17 games, I believe they will make the playoffs, and they will be dangerous…” Broussard said. “…Defensively, they just need to be average, mediocre, and I think they will be, and they made some great additions.”

While playing against the Jacksonville Jaguars during the Week 2 game in the last season, Burrow suffered a third-degree toe turf injury after getting sacked by the defensive line of the Jaguars. In the season, he started eight games and threw for 1,809 yards and scored 17 touchdowns. Many NFL pundits believed that the 2025 season could’ve have become his highest production season before he was struck with an injury. 

Broussard made a similar claim. He argued that if Burrow remained, he could have taken the Bengals to the Super Bowl. His stats also backs up his claims, back in all healthy 2024 season, Burrow gave the league’s highest production. He started all 17 games and threw for 4,918 yards. He also scored 43 TDs in 652 attempts where he completed 460 passes. 

“Now I know they lost Trey Hendrickson, but Dexter Lawrence, Jonathan Allen, Trey Hendrickson is probably not gonna make it,” he added. “I don’t even know what team he went to. He’s probably not gonna. He’s gonna be huge for my, my boys, for my boys. They, they play defense, though.”

He also said that this offseason’s additions of Dexter Lawrence, Jonathan Allen, and former Super Bowl winners Joshua Uche and Demarcus Lawrence give the Cincinnati Bengals enough talent to climb out of the basement defensively, even if the unit never becomes elite. He also pointed to the Bengals’ schedule, which includes the NFC South and a watered-down AFC East outside of the Buffalo Bills and the New England Patriots, as another factor that could help the Bengals sneak into the postseason even with a middling defense, so long as Burrow stays on the field.

For the Cincinnati Bengals, the formula is becoming increasingly clear. Burrow’s health gives the Bengals a chance to remain dangerous, but the defense will have to prove it can complement him when the games matter most. With a more favorable schedule and new defensive pieces in place, the Bengals have enough reasons for optimism. Now, they have to turn that potential into a full season of results.