The Cincinnati Bengals have a consolation prize of sorts going into Week 3 by being named the best 0-2 team left standing in the NFL.
That honorary distinction comes from ESPN’s Bill Barnwell, who ranked the handful of 0-2 teams based on their ability to get back to contention this season.
Those Bengals slot first, with Barnwell explaining one of the big issues for Joe Burrow and Co. so far besides the obvious calf injury:
What has happened, though, is teams blitzing Burrow without any answers. He has been blitzed on nearly 53% of his dropbacks over the first two weeks and averaged a league-worst 2.1 yards per dropback against extra pressure. A year ago, his 7.8 yards per dropback against blitzes ranked second. Teams were loath to blitz him and get carved up in man coverage against Higgins and Ja’Marr Chase, but it has worked in 2023.
Many of the offensive issues — illustrated nicely by Ja’Marr Chase pointing them out in an interview — still stem from Burrow’s calf. That could mean goofy timing because of missed reps during the summer and the coaches intentionally limiting the playbook to prevent another injury.
Either way, Barnwell’s analysis points out that the upcoming schedule before the bye is pretty soft and that the Bengals remain the most talented, albeit winless, team in the league.
Suffice to say fans will wait with bated breath over the next few days to see what the team officially says about Burrow on injury reports.
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