Joe Mixon: After five years here, I feel like I’m…

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Much has been made of the Bengals going from six wins over the last two seasons to the Super Bowl this year, but their run of losing seasons extended beyond Zac Taylor’s arrival in 2019.

They were 13-19 over the previous two seasons, which were also the first two seasons of running back Joe Mixon‘s career. Mixon broke out in his second season, but a foot injury in 2020 limited him to six games and joined the losing as a reason to feel down about how things were going in Cincinnati.

Mixon bounced back with 1,205 rushing yards and 13 rushing touchdowns, which are both career highs, and Mixon said that going through those tougher times makes this year all the sweeter.

“It’s heartwarming to finally reap these benefits,” Mixon said, via Charlie Goldsmith of the Cincinnati Enquirer. “Being a player here for five years, I feel like I’m living in a movie right now. This is a dream that I’ve dreamed of being in. Now I’m playing at the highest level in the best game in the history of sports.”

Mixon’s only 25, so elder statesman isn’t really an apt description of his standing at this point of his career. Given how much the Bengals have turned over the roster in recent years, though, it fits his perspective of how much things have changed in Cinncinati.