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Early in training camp the Cincinnati Bengals were dealt a major blow when starting signalman Joe Burrow suffered a calf injury. He missed most of camp and the entire preseason.
Burrow returned to the practice field on August 30 and was able to take the field for Week 1. His performance in the Bengals’ 2023 season opener against the Cleveland Browns was as annoying as the weather. Burrow completed fewer than 50 percent of his passes for 82 yards in a 24-3 loss. He was better in a Week 2, 27-24 loss to the Baltimore Ravens, but would suffer a setback to his health.
The NFL’s highest-paid player re-injured his calf late in Sunday’s game, he told reporters afterward that he felt the tweak on the Bengals’ final touchdown drive to cut the deficit to three points.
“We’ll have to wait and see, I’m not sure how it will feel in the next few days,” Burrow told the media. “It’s quite painful at the moment. We don’t know what it will feel like, so we’ll just have to take it day by day.”
Burrow did his best to be optimistic, but an 0-2 start to the season, accompanied by a flaring training camp injury, is a combo that landed right and left the Bengals wobbly. This team started the season with a Super Bowl window that is quickly closing.
With Burrow signing that huge contract, the Deep Bengals roster won’t will look the same from next season. The road back to the AFC Championship Game would be tough enough as the Bengals play in the conference’s most competitive division.
Their schedule loosens up a bit in the coming weeks, but not enough to overcome Burrow in street clothes. The Bengals host the Los Angeles Rams in week 3 and faced with the Tennessee titans in Nashville Week 4. An 0-2 start is far from insurmountable. However, an 0-4 start with a skinny quarterback could be possible put the Bengals too far behind in the standings to make the playoffs.