New Orleans Saints Star Player Suspended Against the Green Bay Packers (Breaking)

Less than five minutes remained in the third quarter of Cincinnati’s third game when it finally happened. The Bengals set up in a pistol position, trailing the Los Angeles Rams by four points and unable to move the ball. That last bit is a little over the top, but Joe Burrow took the snap, faked a chuck to his left, and then rolled out to his right. He floated a pass to Ja’Marr Chase, who produced a 43-yard catch-and-run play, after gingerly emerging from the pocket.

After achieving their first deep completion of the season, the Bengals were the last team to tick that box. Even Zach Wilson’s Jets finished one earlier in their Week 3 loss to New England. Burrow’s calf injury has hampered the top quarterback since the first few days of training camp, but it is unexpected that the Bengals will have to play with that kind of company. Prior to the season, the defending AFC North winners were +150 favorites to win the division. At 1-2 and +380, they are currently the third favorite, behind Baltimore and Cleveland. With their 19-16 victory over Los Angeles this week, the team may have given new life, but it makes sense why bookies don’t believe in them: The Bengals offense is ranked 28th in expected points added per play and 31st in success rate, per TruMedia. The offense has scored just 46 points so far this season. Surprisingly for a club with Tee Higgins, Burrow, and Chase in the lineup, it also has the second-worst explosive play rate in the NFL.

Cincinnati has gone through this before; the offensive is terrible overall, the team is down in the standings, and the quarterback is doing terribly. These same stories were written before the start of the 2022 season when the offense finally got its act together and nearly got the club to the Super Bowl. Similar events had place in 2021, when the Bengals’ offense had a poor start and had a terrible record at the end of the first half of the season. Yes, that team made it to the championship game. History suggests that there’s no need to panic just yet; Burrow and company will work out their problems eventually.

The vibe of this season is distinct, though. Some of the issues remain, but Burrow’s calf is one of them, despite the lack of success in the run game and the deep passing game.