The preseason finale for the Cincinnati Bengals is here. They would battle against the Indianapolis Colts on the 22nd of August. Everyone is waiting for the return of their quarterback, Joe Burrow. The signal-caller suffered a wrist injury, but he is back and ready to lead. On August 19, Burrow looked great in the practice sessions. But fans went into a frenzy after seeing him wearing a glove on various occasions during the drills. Some speculated about the injury. But there’s a different reason why he wore that glove.

ESPN’s Ben Baby revealed the reason, “From what I was told, Burrow would wear a glove between reps on days there is not a lot of moisture in the air. So, it’s cool or maybe windier, and by doing so, that helps create moisture and helps with the grip on the ball.” Who Dey Nation would attest that the 19th of August was windier, with winds of speed up to 33 km/h blowing during the afternoon. The sky also had clouds. But that’s an unusual way to generate moisture.

Baby also mentioned that Burrow has been using these strategies for quite some time now, “In fact, you watch some of his older games. He would wear that glove on the sidelines when it’s colder and you need to create that moisture.” In last season’s opener against the Cleveland Browns, he wore the glove during the 2nd quarter to get a better grip on the wet ball. So, the fans don’t have to worry. The QB is fine.

The Day 16 practice revealed some interesting observations. The defense showed it’s ready for the season. In 2 starter drives, the defense completely blocked the attack. In the first drive, they held the offense to a three-and-out. CB Daxton Hill dominated the second drive by intercepting a 4th-and-1 pass intended for Charlie Jones. However, the offense is looking pretty weak right now.

The team will start their season against the New England Patriots on September 8. Can offense pick up by then?

Joe Burrow has the responsibility to drive the Bengals’ offense

In January this year, the franchise appointed its QB coach Dan Pitcher as their offensive coordinator. In May, head coach Zac Taylor handed attack responsibility to Pitcher, saying, “I’ll take a step back this spring. And let [Pitcher] take ownership in the direction of the offense.” Tight End Drew Sample said that the move was fantastic, praising Pitcher for his experience. Fans were also cheerful, but the offense seems lacking in the practice sessions.

During a regular 11 vs 11 drill on Day 16 practice, the offense made a false start with 3 of 4 completions intercepted. While some would say they didn’t have Ja’marr Chase and Tee Higgins during the session, the team must raise their game to win the Super Bowl. Last year, they couldn’t qualify for the playoffs. The Bungles’ poor season starts in recent years are even more worrisome. More so for the QB.

In his 5th season in NFL, Joe Cool will be without RB Joe Mixon who was traded to Houston Texans in early offseason. He has to choose from Zack Moss, playing in his 6th NFL season, and Chase Brown, playing in his 2nd NFL season. In June, the QB was optimistic about his options and praised both RBs. But come August, he must be seriously thinking about the position. Moss was ranked 31st out of 32 running backs in a starting RB rankings list recently. The practice session didn’t offer enough hope as well.

Who Dey Nation has never seen their team win the Super Bowl. Joe Burrow took them to the Super Bowl in 2022. Will this season finally bring them to glory? All hopes are on the quarterback.