Bengals’ 2022 season begins very badly on offense

Steelers safety Minkah Fitzpatrick took Joe Burrow’s first pass of the 2022 NFL season right back to the house. That was after a Cam Heyward sack.

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow’s 2021 season ended with a fourth-down pressure by Aaron Donald in Super Bowl LVI. Burrow’s 2022 season didn’t start any more auspiciously.

With 12:43 left in the first quarter of the Bengals’ home opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Burrow tried to hit receiver Tyler Boyd on second-and-15 from his own 17-yard line. It was second-and-15 because Cameron Heyward, the Steelers’ version of Donald, took Burrow down on first down.

So, on second down, Burrow tried to get this going, with less than optimal results.

Clearly, Burrow didn’t see Steelers super-safety Minkah Fitzpatrick ready to close on the ball, and that’s just bad internal scouting. Fitzpatrick has had those kinds of plays on lock for years now.

On Cincinnati’s third drive, edge-rusher Alex Highsmith forced Burrow to heave the ball up in the air, and Heyward came down with the pick.

And… on Cincinnati’s FOURTH drive, Burrow tried this pass, which was intercepted at the line of scrimmage by T.J. Watt, the reigning Defensive Player of the Year.

The Bengals might need a mercy role at this rate, and the Steelers’ defense is entirely on point.