In what has quickly become a nightmare of a season for the Cincinnati Bengals and its’ fans there is a certain feeling of dread circling the air. What is wrong with this offense that was an elite unit just last season? What is going on that is making them average 12 points a game? While all the blame cannot be placed upon it, a heavy amount of the problem could be with the health of star quarterback Joe Burrow and his calf injury.
Anyone watching Cincinnati playing on Sunday can see there is something off about Burrow’s play and his ability to maneuver around in the pocket. This is obviously a huge problem given one of Burrow’s best traits is his pocket awareness and movement, and it has lead to him getting hit far more often than he should. There are multiple times during the game where an edge rusher is coming around the corner and a healthy Burrow could step in around the rush, but this version seems to struggle shifting as quickly and showcasing those subtle quick movements that allow him to evade. His offensive lune being subpar is making this a glaring issue that has lead to offensive ineptitude.
Titans Defense comes up with a huge strip sack on Joe Burrow 💪 pic.twitter.com/sr3JjgnbsA
— NFL Retweet (@NFLRT) October 1, 2023
Obviously this isn’t all on Burrow — there has been a seeming lack of acknowledgement about his limited mobility by his offensive play callers who routinely dial up deep balls without much consideration for hot routes or dump offs. If this coaching staff does keep Burrow in the game they should at least be designing plays more consistently that get the ball out quick and take advantage of Burrow’s excellent processing skills and accuracy. Not having hot routes and safety blankets is a big reason why Burrow got walloped last week against the Titans.
There are plenty of cautionary tales on keeping an injured quarterback going to try and push for a single season. Look no further than the likes of Cam Newton with the Carolina Panthers, Andrew Luck with the Indianapolis Colts, etc., etc. There are a handful of examples of coaches pushing their quarterbacks through injuries that end in a severe downturn in play or in outright retirement. Though to be fair it is unlikely Burrow would even here out a request to shut him down for an amount of time to heal as he is one of the most driven competitors in the league.
It’s never easy to make the decision to essentially wave a white flag for your season or however long Burrows needs to be out, but your quarterback has to be protected.
Joe Burrow takes a *big* hit from Azeez Al-Shaair. pic.twitter.com/K55GoHsgcw
— Charlie Clifford (@char_cliff) October 1, 2023
The most valuable asset of any franchise is a rare one, a franchise quarterback, and not many teams have the opportunity to land one. The Cincinnati Bengals have that luxury, and if they determine Burrow’s calf injury is holding him back and at risk for further injury, they should protect their investment and shut him down until it is healed.
