Bengals News (2/14): Fuel for the fire

Cincinnati Bengals fall to the Los Angeles Rams 23-20 in Super Bowl LVI
In the Hollywood foothills Sunday, the Bengals took an improbable story that would have been rejected by any scriptwriter in town, but couldn't produce their first ever Lombardi Trophy in heartbreaking 23-20 loss to the Rams on the steamy sound stage of Super Bowl LVI.

Photo Gallery | Best Images Of Super Bowl LVI Vs. Los Angeles Rams
View the best game action photos as the Bengals faced the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl LVI.

Joe Burrow - Cincinnati Bengals to celebrate season, let Super Bowl loss 'fuel us'
The Bengals clinched their first playoff berth in six seasons, won their first postseason game in 31 years and reached the Super Bowl for the first time in 33 years. But Cincinnati couldn't hang onto a four-point lead that disappeared for good when Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp caught a 1-yard touchdown pass with 1:35 left in the game.

Cincinnati Bengals QB Joe Burrow 'won team over' during meeting on racial injustice in 2020, former staffer says
The Bengals were holding a meeting at team headquarters around August, in the wake of George Floyd's murder by then-Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin and the protests against racial injustice it had sparked across the nation. As defensive tackle D.J. Reader recalls, "a lot was going on at that time" around the country and players were discussing weighty issues in the meeting.

Cincinnati Bengals' Future Blindingly Bright Despite Super Bowl Loss
That image? Quarterback Joe Burrow lying on the SoFi Stadium turf, writhing in pain yet again from another sack. Fortunately, the 25-year-old is tough as nails and came back into the game, but it was only to see his team falter when it mattered the most.

Football Morning In America, Super Bowl 56, Rams Beat Bengals - Peter King
No, this is not the place where Super Bowl LVI was won by the Rams, 23-20, in another coin-flip of a football game, the only kind the NFL plays these days. This is the place where, in a private airport hangar, the Rams celebrated the first football championship by a team in the City of Angels since 1984.

Bengals’ quest to fix Joe Burrow’s OL starts right now
There are other needs, yes (chief among them re-signing Jessie Bates). And Ja’Marr Chase was the right pick. The team also couldn’t help that right guard continued to be a revolving door and veteran right tackle Riley Reiff had to go on IR late in the season.

T.J. Houshmandzadeh helps send viral 87-year-old Bengals fan to Super Bowl 56, meets with him in Los Angeles
James Lipscomb was at the first ever Bengals game at Nippert Stadium in 1968 and has plans to be at Super Bowl LVI to watch Cincinnati take on the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles. The 87-year-old fan has never lost faith in the team and he is hoping he might be able to see his favorite team win their first ever Super Bowl live.

Super Bowl LVI: What we learned from Rams' win over Bengals
Joe Burrow, Bengals offense come up shy. The Bengals entered the season with questions along the offensive line. They end the same way. All season -- and particularly in the playoffs -- Burrow overcame the consistent pressure. Not so on Super Bowl Sunday. Burrow was pressured on 42.5% of his dropbacks against the Rams, the second-highest in his career. The QB's average time to throw of 2.41 seconds was the fourth-lowest for Burrow in his career. If Burrow wasn't getting rid of the ball quick, he was getting hammered.

Around the league

Dolphins' Stephen Ross could lose team by owner vote if NFL investigation into tanking allegations proven true
Sources informed of the league's investigation say the probe has only just begun, and investigators plan to speak with all relevant parties -- including Flores -- as soon as possible. It's clear the league takes the possibility of tanking extremely seriously -- seeing it as a threat to the integrity of the game -- with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell saying last Wednesday during his pre-Super Bowl LVI news conference that "if there were violations, they won't be tolerated."

Rams' Aaron Donald proves he's built for the moment in Super Bowl LVI victory
Before putting on his uniform and turning offensive linemen into human turnstiles, he makes a point of reading text messages from his wife, Erica, who sends him words of encouragement before each game. Sunday was no exception. With Donald preparing to play in the biggest game of his career, a Super Bowl matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals, she reminded him of three things: I love you. I'm proud of you. You're built for these moments.

2022 NFL Draft order: QB a need for eight teams entering offseason
With the 2021 NFL season officially in the books, the order for the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft is set. Now the work of figuring out who will fill those slots takes center stage, with the NFL Scouting Combine just around the corner. In the immediate aftermath of Super Bowl LVI, here's the current order for Round 1 of the 2022 draft, which kicks off on April 28 in Las Vegas, along with the three needs for each team.

Cardinals want Kyler Murray to take step forward in leadership, maturity
"I do know they're looking for Murray to take a step forward in a number of areas," Garafolo reported on NFL GameDay Morning. "We're talking about maturity, body language on the sideline, having a bigger voice with his teammates, and leadership."