This is very obvious, but still needs saying. With Joe Burrow going down in practice with a right calf strain, every Bengals fan collectively held their breath as their team is screwed without him.
What a disaster this injury would be for the Bengals…and a blessing for every other AFC team.
Arguably the second-best quarterback in the NFL right now, Cincinnati Bengals QB Joe Burrow just gave ever one of the Bengals fan heart attacks as he scarily went down with a right calf strain during a pretty innocuous training camp drill. And, if Burrow can’t go 100% this upcoming season, the Bengals are utterly screwed.
Now, I know I’m not breaking news here when I say that the Bengals are in deep trouble without Joe Burrow as the guy’s not only one of the best QBs in the league, but he’s also one of the greatest leaders in sports right now.
First off, Joe Burrow was arguably one of the Top-3 players in football last season as he threw for 4,475 passing yards, 35 passing TDs, only 12 INTs, completed 68.3% of his passes, rushed 75 times, rushed for 257 yards, scored 5 rushing TDs, earned his first Pro Bowl nod, helped the Bengals win an AFC North division title, helped the Bengals reached a 2nd-straight AFC Championship game, finished 9th in Offensive Player of the Year voting, and 4th in MVP voting.
And, if it wasn’t for Joesph Ossai stupidly shoving Patick Mahomes out of bounds when the eventual MVP, Super Bowl winning QB, and Super Bowl MVP QB was already heading out, Burrow and his Bengals had a great chance of reaching back-to-back Super Bowls. That’s how great of a player he is…and his team success shows how wonderful he is as a leader.
If you watch any Joe Burrow interview, he gives off a calm, cool, collected, and confident attitude that not only oozes out onto the Bengals and his teammates when they hit the field, but it also helps them overcome any deficit no matter how far behind or late in the game they are. That’s why he has 5 4th quarter comebacks alone in these two healthy years under center (his first year was ended due to his ACL tear injury).
Regardless, if the Bengals don’t have a healthy, ready-to-go Joe Burrow in their lineup, they might as well get ready for the 2024 NFL Draft as they’ll be picking quite high. In the AFC alone this season, the Bengals are going to have to compete against QBs like Aaron Rodgers, Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, Tua Tagovailoa, Trevor Lawerence, Justin Herbert, Russell Wilson, Deshaun Watson, Anthony Richardson, and C.J. Stroud.
Every single one of these guys are either former 1st overall picks, 1st rounders, All-Pros, MVPs, Super Bowl champions, or Super Bowl MVPs.
That’s an incredibly difficult field of QBs and rosters to have to compete with even when Joe Burrow is healthy and ready to go, let alone with an injured Joe Burrow or one of his understudies.
To be honest, I don’t even think the Bengals will finish higher than 4th in the AFC North if they don’t have a healthy Burrow as the Ravens have Lamar Jackson, Mark Andrews, Odell Beckham Jr., 1st rounder WR Zay Flowers, and a stalwart defense, the Browns have Deshaun Watson, Nick Chubb, Myles Garrett, and a Top-15 defense, and the Steelers have a sophomore Kenny Pickett, Mike Tomlin, a Top-5 receiving core, a healthy T.J. Watt, and a Top-10 defense (and maybe Top-5 if Watt goes crazy this year).
I’m not saying the Bengals have beanies and pylon cones around Joe Burrow, but they don’t have the roster strength to compete within their own division without Joe Burrow under center.
Thankfully for all Bengals fans, it sounds like Joe Burrow will only miss a few weeks of training camp and the preseason. Yet, as everyone knows who has strained a calf or a soft tissue muscle, it only takes a wrong turn or movement to restrain it all over again.
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