Broncos legend raises alarm, sends Bengals a warning over Joe Burrow's Super Bowl window 

From being listed as a Super Bowl contender to start the year to being labeled as one of the biggest disappointments of the season by ESPN's Mina Kimes, the Cincinnati Bengals have come a long way for all the wrong reasons. With Week 18's round of games on the horizon, Joe Burrow's Bengals currently stand a slim chance of sneaking into the playoffs.

But that's hardly down to Burrow's lack of production. The former No. 1 overall pick has been playing lights-out football all year, throwing for 4,641 yards and 42 touchdowns with one game to spare. Those numbers have him in the MVP conversation late in the year but three-time Super Bowl champion guard Mark Schlereth is far from convinced about the franchise.

On an episode of FS1's "Breakfast Ball", Schlereth sent Bengals management a stern warning over their roster:

“As currently constructed, you’ll never win a Super Bowl. It’s because your quarterback has to carry the weight of that franchise every single day," Schlereth said. "Last week, he threw for 400 yards he got sacked seven times. He was under duress the entirety of the game.

“You cannot put a guy in that position 24/7. He won a playoff game against Tennessee where he got sacked 9 freaking times," he added.

The Denver Broncos icon reiterated that the Bengals cannot and should not expect to win a Super Bowl if their roster allows Burrow to be under pressure all game:

"You have to be a more complete team," he asserted.

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Mina Kimes labels Bengals' roster construction an 'absolute failure'

It's not like the Bengals cheaped out on building a roster around Burrow this year. They outspent several teams on defense but failed to get the right people to ensure they kept rival offenses at bay. With free agency on the horizon, the Bengals face several question marks over the state of the franchise.

ESPN's Mina Kimes also pointed out how there has been a lack of scrutiny about the Bengals on national television given the city they're in:

“I really believe if the Bengals were in a different city like the Jets, there would be a bigger outcry over this season from Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase being wasted on offense," Kimes said on the 'GoJo and Golic Show' last month. "I believe it’s close to historically unprecedented with what they’re doing respective to the team’s win record.

"It is jarring to me the ways in which this defense has let them down. It’s a defense that clearly has not been built well. This is a very expensive defensive line. They have drafted and they have continuously tried to address it. It’s been an obvious failure," she added.

As things stand, the Bengals are still on the outside looking in. They face the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 18 and will have to win that game but will also have to hope the Broncos lose to the Kansas City Chiefs, who will be resting Patrick Mahomes, with Carson Wentz set to take his place under center.