For the second time in four years, Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow suffered a season-ending injury. While this year’s setback is not as devastating as the 2020 knee-shattering, it has put the Bengals in an incredibly tough spot yet again.
Between the preseason calf injury, the slow start, and now this, this year’s Bengals season has been anything but ideal. Cincinnati came into the year with Super Bowl aspirations — and still had a decent shot prior to the injury — and now are in limbo. The team is 5-5 and by no means out of the playoff race but that hill got significantly more steep.
Keeping the Super Bowl Window Open After Joe Burrow’s Injury
Playoffs are Possible…But Improbable
Even with Burrow, the final stretch of the season was going to be difficult. The AFC North is a gauntlet, the Jaguars look good, and the Chiefs are still the Chiefs and will play host to this team on New Year’s Eve.
The biggest thing ahead of the Bengals is whether or not they are going to make a legitimate attempt at the Wild Card or if it’s tanking season. The sheer difficulty of the remaining slate may have already made up their minds, honestly. Regardless, with five wins, the Bengals are out of the running for, say, Marvin Harrison, Jr. or likely Olu Fashanu and Joe Alt. But a player like Brock Bowers, Jaylahn Tuimoloau, Dallas Turner, or J.C. Latham could be worth pumping the breaks on what could be an extended season.
The Bengals roster is strong enough that it could carry Browning to contention. Obviously, “you play to win the game,” but the Bengals need to decide if the team’s Super Bowl window is open longer with a seven or eight-win season as compared to a five-win season.
The argument for trying is simple. You play to win the game. Confidence and morale go a long way when it comes to the players on the roster who may want to extend (Tee Higgins, D.J. Reader, Jonah Williams, etc) for a team that cares and did not throw it all away after one setback. Admittedly, it is a massive setback.
The argument for tanking is also simple. This year’s NFL Draft class has a number of quarterbacks teams will be clamoring for. The Bengals could use their position to either draft a faller (Bowers, Alt, Kool-Aid McKinstry, even) or trade down for a desperate team like the Saints or Vikings (just a suggestion, not saying they are actually desperate…yet) to overpay for a Jayden Daniels-type.
It’s not mock draft season in Cincinnati yet. However, the traffic to PFF’s Mock Draft Simulator has increased in the 513.
This is Jake Browning‘s offense now.
Jake Browning is not Joe Burrow. Sorry to break the news on this holiday weekend.
However, there are positives. The first one is that Joe Mixon is finally going to get his. This year, Mixon has quietly been a solid running back with all of the focus on Burrow and the other weapons. On the year, Mixon has run for 605 yards and four touchdowns off of 153 rushes. His 48.4% rush success rate is second in the NFL among backs with at least 150 rushing attempts.
The problem has been that he does not get much in the Burrow-led offense and for good reason. Are you really going to be the one to take the ball out of Burrow’s hands? Exactly. With Browning at the helm, Mixon should be more run.
When Browning is asked to throw the ball, he’s not going to be able to pick apart defenses as Burrow can. However, with the knowledge that this season is not going to end with Zac Taylor hoisting the Lombardi, the offense could take more risks.
Protecting Joe Burrow (as a playmaker) was not in the Bengals plans. He takes chances and does his best to extend plays and buy time for Ja’Marr Chase and the like to get open. Browning is not the same animal. However, Taylor and company could try to push things with Browning to see what they can do.
Cincinnati is not going to play it safe with Browning because what is there left to lose? Cut it loose.
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