The NFL has a long history with injuries and victories, and with déjà vu. The Cincinnati Bengals are stuck in déjà vu territory recalling their time on-field during the last season. Rocking a 0-2 record as they head into Week 3, last year, they were taking hits from the Pittsburgh Steelers and Dallas Cowboys all around at this exact point. Fast forward to today, and they’ve got the Los Angeles Rams to face next for a Monday Night Football showdown.
And the Bengals are desperately trying to avoid that dreaded 0-3 start. But there’s a twist to their tale this time around—Joe Burrow‘s health. Week 2 threw us a curveball when he tweaked his already injured calf. Here, the big question remains, is he playing? It’s a game-time decision that’s got fans and players biting their nails.
The Burrow-meter: Is he in or out?
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As the Cincinnati Bengals prepare for their next match, it finally looks like the Burrow-meter is pointing in the right direction. If there are no more surprises, the star quarterback is ready to get back on the ground for the third game of his team. And senior ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter has quite a take on the Bengals’ QB dilemma.
Appearing on the ‘Pat McAfee show’, the NFL reporter said about the footballer’s appearance, “If they promote a quarterback at 4’o clock he’s not playing. If they don’t promote a quarterback, he is playing.” Previously, Burrow suffered a calf injury during the preseason, causing him to take a step back from the game.
However, the QB champ, who recently signed a record $275 million deal to stay with the team, was ready to go in Week 1. But in Week 2, his calf flared up. Though all the concerns of the injury continue to factor in, the focus here lies on the entry of the QB to the side for the game against Rams.
"Joe Burrow has been pushing to play and he wants to try and play tonight..
I think we'll know by four o'clock if he's going"@AdamSchefter #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/IVzG1R9pK5
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) September 25, 2023
The backup quarterback Jake Browning is the name that comes up as the replacement of Joe Burrow if the injury did keep him sidelined. And looking at his condition going off field a few days back, the likeliness of this replacement seems quite high.
Burrow’s playing status: A gridiron gambit
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There is a lot of friction regarding Burrow’s playing status in their week 3 clash. While one half of the group is worried that rushing Burrow back into action could turn the gridiron superhero into a sideline spectator for the long haul, the other group remains concerned about the situation of the Bengals without his presence on the playing team.
Undoubtedly, both the groups got a point to make here. Burrow wasn’t exactly firing on all cylinders, and he left many spectators with their hearts in their throats after re-aggravating that injury. And on the other side, his team seems in a desperate need for their star QB to make an impactful comeback.
It is clear that if the Bengals tumble to 0-3, they are in the danger zone. And these are some high-stakes odds, only six out of 251 teams that started 0-3 ever clawed their way into the playoffs in the Super Bowl era. Thus, Bengals’ fate this season is hanging by a mere thread here. With that, will Burrow roll the dice, or will the Bengals play it safe? Stay tuned, because this drama is just getting started!
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