Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals were expected to field one of the NFL’s most explosive offenses in 2023.
We may need to hold that thought for another week.
Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow went 14-of-31 passing for 82 yards and zero touchdowns before being pulled late in the fourth quarter. It was the worst game of his career by far. He had never played a game and failed to register more than 100 yards until Sunday.
Joe Burrow has seen this type of start before. Last year, he threw four interceptions in a Week One loss. And as he stated after the game, it probably had something to do with his absence during training camp (due to a leg injury).
Yeah, nobody’s panicking,” Burrow said. “Week 1 doesn’t define anybody’s season. Obviously, not very good out there, but anybody that watched saw that. We’ve been in the spot before, we’ve come back stronger and had a great year. So that’s what we’re going to do.”
“Yeah, that happens in Week 1,” Burrow said. “Obviously, those things happen when the quarterback doesn’t perform in training camp. That was obviously something that I would have liked to have done, but there’s no excuses.”
Burrow finalized his contract extension on Thursday before the Bengals’ buses left for Cleveland. Burrow agreed to a five-year contract worth $275 million, including more than $219 million guaranteed.
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Last year, the Bengals started the year 0-2 and still made it all the way to the AFC Championship game. It was the second straight season that they did so. He has led Cincinnati to two straight AFC North titles and a Super Bowl appearance following the 2021 season.
Burrow, who is beginning his fourth season in the NFL, has reversed the fortunes of the franchise while earning a reputation as a leader with a knack for knowing just what to do to pick his team up when they are down.
Burrow missed most of training camp with a strained calf muscle but returned to practice last week. That injury combined with the terrible weather can be a reason why the team was simply out of it.
They may be down, but certainly not out.
