Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow has been sidelined for the second time in four years. While this year’s defeat is not as severe as the one in 2020, it has put the Bengals in a very difficult position once again.
This year’s Bengals season has been anything than perfect, what with the preseason calf injury, the poor start, and now this. Cincinnati entered the season with Super Bowl hopes — and still had a good chance before the injury — and is now in uncertainty. The squad is 5-5 and not out of the postseason race, but the climb has gotten substantially steeper.
After Joe Burrow’s injury, the Super Bowl window remains open… Playoffs are possible…However, it is improbable.
Even with Burrow, the season’s closing stretch was going to be challenging. The AFC North is a slog, the Jaguars are looking strong, and the Chiefs are still the Chiefs, hosting 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.
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.
