Joe Burrow has a penchant for starting slow and it cost the Bengals dearly this week against the Cleveland Browns. The fourth-year veteran had his worst game as a professional going 14-31 for a career-low 82 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions. Cincinnati now finds themselves in an unenviable position of a must-win home game against the Baltimore Ravens. The calf injury suffered in training camp and the brutal weather conditions played a factor in Burrow’s struggles versus the Browns. The Bengals franchise quarterback has bounced back nicely throughout his career from early-season poor play and has ended on a high note going into the playoffs in 2021 and 2022. The glaring issue in 2023 is the depth of the AFC conference as a whole. The Bengals can’t dig themselves in too big of a hole or they may not recover.
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The Cleveland Curse
Some teams just have your number, and the Browns are Burrow’s kryptonite. The loss on Sunday moves him to 1-5 against Cleveland and he’s never won at FirstEnergy Stadium. Struggling against certain teams isn’t a new concept in NFL circles as evident on Monday Night Football as Josh Allen’s issues against the New York Jets continued. For both Burrow and Allen, on the surface, these are bad matchups. The Browns and Jets play fantastic team defense with aggressive lines and cornerbacks. They also run the ball well and can eat the clock with long drives. The Bengals have consistently played to the Browns strength since Zac Taylor arrived and rarely play with a lead. This is a recipe for disaster and beating the Browns may decide the AFC North in Week 18 when the Browns come to Cincinnati to end the 2023 campaign.
Take It Easy on Me
The Bengals once again look to ease Burrow into the physical rigors of the NFL season. The COVID-19 pandemic in his 2020 rookie season, the multiple knee ligament tear in 2021, the ruptured appendix last season, and the calf strain marks four consecutive years where Burrow has missed portions of OTA’s or training camp. This rash of poor luck for Burrow has made the coaching staff extra cautious in how they approach the preseason with Taylor not playing starters often. The feather in the cap and one that can give Bengals fans hope is the front office and Taylor looking at the totality of an 18-week regular season and the protection of the player’s health.
No Panic Attack
Experience is the best teacher, and Burrow will draw on it once again to bring the team together and make them stronger moving forward. He noted after the loss, “Week 1 doesn’t define anybody’s season, obviously, not very good out there. Anybody that watched saw that. But we have been in this spot before and come back stronger and had great years. That’s what we are going to do.” The familiar words have been prophetic in his career, and you’d be foolish to bet against Burrow and the Bengals after Week 1. They’ve been proven to take your money.
Main Photo: Kareem Elgazzar/The Enquirer-USA TODAY NETWORK
