The Cincinnati Bengals’ offense looked rather underpowered in yesterday’s 36-19 loss to the Green Bay Packers minus star QB Joe Burrow. Trevor Siemian and Jake Browning commanded the offense from under center for the night, each tossing an interception with identical passer ratings of 49.9.
But the headline for the game turned out to be what happened just before, as Burrow was seen during warmups moving around pretty well while testing out his injured calf, which he hurt in a non-contact situation early in training camp.
It was feared that he would miss several weeks, and indeed head coach Zac Taylor recently stated that that same timeline remains in effect, but the eye test watching him move around on that calf before the game suggested that he has a reasonably good chance of being ready for the regular season.
Burrow was not even around on the field since his injury until just a few days ago, obviously busy spending his time rehabbing while his teammates were practicing. There is nothing that he can do to help them more than to get back on the field as soon as possible.
And he seems to be making every effort in that regard and making steady progress. Based on how the offense has run without him, he can’t get back too soon, though the same could apply to just about any franchise quarterback in the league.
The Pittsburgh Steelers certainly have a better backup quarterback situation behind Kenny Pickett, including based on last night’s results. Both Mitch Trubisky and Mason Rudolph played well in relief, though they weren’t always aided by the rest of the offense. Trubisky threw an interception that was picked off from a deflection off WR Cody White. Rudolph had to recover a botched snap from Kendrick Green.
Burrow didn’t just jog a bit on the field, to be clear. This was the first time that he threw in public since his injury, via Geoff Hobson of the team’s website. “Burrow looked crisp and smooth bouncing on his legs as he followed through with some zip”, he wrote. “After high-kicking both legs through some stretches, Burrow also got in some running”.
Still, it’s only a month away from the start of the regular season, and there’s no guarantee this far out that he will be healthy enough to play in Week One. The team will also have to factor in the risk of re-injury if he is brought back too soon.
If he’s not ready, the Bengals may want to hunt for better alternatives behind him than Siemian, who has lost all six games that he has started since 2019 with the New York Jets, the Chicago Bears, and the New Orleans Saints. He went 0-4 with the Saints in 2021.
