Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, inevitably, was going to face questions about his surgically repaired wrist if he struggled to start the season.
That came to fruition on Sunday in the wake of the upset loss at the hands of the New England Patriots.
Asked about his wrist after the loss and how it might’ve impacted him on any types of throws — if any — during the 16-10 loss, Burrow said everything feels good.
Burrow mostly tipped his hat to the Patriots, instead: “They were doing a good job keeping everything in front,” Burrow said. “I’ve got to take what the defense gives me.”
Otherwise, there was lots of “watch the tape” answers after his 21-of-29 line for 164 yards, plus the three sacks and four rushing attempts.
Burrow certainly didn’t look like the guy Bengals fans have known so well over the years. That said, the team certainly isn’t a stranger to incredibly slow starts under Zac Taylor. Some of Sunday’s woes, perhaps, involved Burrow slowly ramping up to full speed again after his latest season-ending injury given his lack of preseason reps.
While the broadcast did make mention of Burrow’s wrist plenty of times, until there’s a legitimate reason for concern, it feels like Burrow and the team’s showing can simply be boiled down to yet another slow start before they get in gear. That’s a major problem in its own right, but is far better than another injury to the franchise passer.
