Even the arrival of Joe Burrow last season wasn't enough to get the Cincinnati Bengals over the hump, missing the NFL Playoffs for the fifth straight year. Burrow, however, had a solid rookie stint despite his knee injuries and he will only get better with one campaign tucked under his belt.

The fast-rising quarterback had a ton of pressure last season after being selected no. 1 overall. But the 24-year-old Burrow showed he can hang with the big boys. While his rookie stint was cut short in Week 11 after tearing his ACL and MCL, he has remained optimistic about his comeback this season. In fact, he has set lofty goals for himself and the Bengals (via 247 Sports).

“Make the playoffs, win the division, be competitive with every team we play. We really need to get better at closing out games. We had leads in the fourth quarter of something like seven or eight games last year, and we ended up losing all of them. So we need to be better down the stretch so we can win those games and get into the playoffs.”

Burrow will team up with rookie wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase to form an exciting and young one-two punch for Bengals coach Zac Taylor. While returning from serious knee injuries is never a walk in the park, Burrow, who will wear a knee brace, has credited all the people around him for helping him recover quickly.

“At times at the beginning mainly, when I couldn’t really go to the bathroom by myself and I was dependent on people, that was more frustrating than anything. I learned a lot about the support system I have around me.

Joe Burrow is expected to make his much-awaited return on Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings.