This time feels different for the Cincinnati Bengals as they head into the season opener against the Cleveland Browns.
Joe Burrow and Co. have started seasons slow, especially last year as he came back from the ruptured appendix that resulted in notable weight loss. But it’s not a secret that the newly-extended and highest-paid player in NFL history is much better off this year while coming back from the minor calf injury.
Buy Bengals TicketsThe Bengals happen to also enjoy more continuity than nearly any other team in the league as both coordinators return around Zac Taylor yet again. A fast start and looking better than the Burrow-era Bengals normally do against the Browns isn’t out of the question.
Still, Sunday will be a superb stress test for the rebuilt offensive line. The arrival of Orlando Brown Jr. at left tackle and Jonah Williams moving to right tackle could produce the best line of the Burrow era — with Myles Garrett and Co. providing a near-league-best test.
The wild card here is Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson, who looked middling at best over the course of a 3-3 record last year after returning from a suspension. There are extremely talented offensive players around him, but will he be more comfortable and resemble the guy the Browns treaded for, or was last year a sign of things to come after an extended break from football?
Even if Burrow’s offense happens to start slow, though, one can typically throw trust into Lou Anarumo’s Bengals defense. Outside of missing rotational pass-rushing depth Joseph Ossai, the unit is fully healthy and matches up with the Browns nicely, even if the unit has to start two new safeties.
If Burrow’s mobility remains hampered (and we’ve seen no major proof on his mobility either way), it could create some problems for the offense. But this is a game the team has had all offseason to plan for and it’s no secret the Browns would like to grab a lead and ride Nick Chubb to a win.
Sprinkle in some of the usual Week 1 unpredictability and the Bengals still feel like the superior team, eventually squeaking this one out on the road, a far cry from last season’s opener when Burrow threw four picks and a long-snapper injury cost them a similarly winnable game.
Prediction: Bengals 28, Browns 25
