Expectations can be a gift or an obstacle for a team. For the Cincinnati Bengals, exceeding expectations is a gift that keeps on giving this month. Not meeting expectations didn’t help Chris Mack in Louisville.

Considering the state of the Cincinnati Bengals last January. Emerging from a four-win season and finishing last in the AFC North. Quarterback Joe Burrow was recuperating from his rookie season-ending ACL injury. While head coach Zac Taylor seemed to be heading into a make-or-break 2021 season. I will admit my expectations for this Bengals team were mixed at best.

With the NFL regular season now featuring 17 games. Closing out the regular season 8-8-1 didn’t seem so implausible for Cincinnati. Making the playoffs as AFC North champions was a magnificent achievement. The Bengals snapping their 31-year playoff losing streak was monumental. Following it up with their divisional round win at the AFC No.1 seed Tennessee Titans was icing on the cake.

Few beyond the Bengals organization then were expecting the Bengals to be in the position they are now. Preparing to face the Kansas City Chiefs in Sunday’s AFC Championship Game. The Bengals are spending the season exceeding expectations with a new attitude. Showcasing a vibrant confidence in the closest thing the NFL has to a Cinderella story. Flipping the script after years mostly mired in futility.

Just before the Wild Card game, I wrote that Bengals fans should savor the moment. Considering the state of the franchise for the six seasons prior to this one. Plus, the state of the world in the early years of the 2020’s. The Bengals aren’t fully operating in that mindset right now. They want and believe they can play in the Super Bowl.

Elsewhere in the Ohio Valley, Louisville is starting up a mid-season coaching search. While the Bengals are surprising many with their winning ways. The end of the short-lived Chris Mack era in Louisville wasn’t surprising. Given an extortion scandal surrounding former assistant Dino Gaudio. A season where Louisville Men’s Basketball is looking lifeless, especially during ACC play. Plus, missing out on the NCAA Tournament all but one of Mack’s nearly four seasons with Louisville. Though they likely would’ve qualified for the ultimately cancelled 2020 tournament. Not meeting the program’s high expectations led to public support for Mack shifting. From support to the kind of lethargic energy emitting from the team overall.

Internal instability at the University of Louisville didn’t help Mack either. He was facing the kind of environment he never faced at Xavier University. U of L’s operating with an interim president and athletic director. After former AD Vince Tyra and president Dr. Neeli Bendapudi resigned on the same day last month. Their administration has been mired in a foggy mess for years. Putting interim AD Josh Heird, President Lori Gonzalez and interim head coach Mike Pegues in a difficult spot. Picking up the pieces amid a tumultuous winter for the university.

Meanwhile, the new attitude Bengals’ front office is getting compliments for a change. Winning is the main reason for the compliments. However, management also made an effort before the season began. To improve the fan experience at Paul Brown Stadium. With new uniforms, the addition of their Ring of Honor and their ruler of the jungle stage. All of this after years where Bengals games have been a mostly no-frills experience. While the team mostly languished on the field until this season.

The Bengals are raising the bar for themselves. Giving themselves high expectations going into next year. After exceeding them in the regular and postseason. With the confidence they’re showing, the Bengals might be able to meet high expectations. A foreign environment for Bengals fans after the last three decades for the team.