Should Cincinnati Bengals Rest Joe Burrow With Calf Injury Lingering?

Cincinnati is 1-3 following Sunday's loss in Nashville.

Author:
James Rapien
Publish date:
Oct 2, 2023 10:03 AM EDT

In this story:

CINCINNATI — The Bengals are in trouble. They're 1-3 on the season following Sunday's 27-3 loss to the Titans.

Star quarterback Joe Burrow is clearly less than 100%. He can't move like his normal self in the pocket due to a lingering calf injury that has plagued him since July 27.

^{"He's doing everything he can. He's playing through it, but there’s still limitations he’s got certainly and that's probably very difficult for him," head coach Zac Taylor said. "He’s getting hit. He’s having to move and he's doing a great job getting up on the next play and responding. Sometimes quarterbacks will get rattled by that stuff. But you don’t feel that from him at all. You feel that the next play is going to be successful even if he does take a hit. Again, he’s fighting through it and I’m proud of him for that."}

Burrow completed 20-of-30 passes for 165 yards against the Titans. He's struggling to move around when necessary. He hasn't been as accurate, which includes his downfield passing.

Should the Bengals sit Burrow until after the bye and let him get healthier?

That's a question plenty of people are asking this morning.

I don't think the Bengals will sit Burrow. They believe he gives them the best chance to win. He's played with this calf injury over the past two weeks and avoided any setbacks.

Even if they gave Burrow a few weeks off, there's no guarantee that his health would improve dramatically. That's why shutting him down seems pointless. He's clearly planning on playing with the injury.

That doesn't mean the offense should stay the same. They need to make changes.

Cincinnati ranks last in points scored (12.3) after four contests. They've scored six total points in two road games.

Zac Taylor, Brian Callahan and the rest of the offensive staff have to find a way to make this work.

For years Burrow has been able to go into the phone booth as Clark Kent, come out as Superman and save the Bengals anytime they're in a tight spot. Now he's on the field without his cape.

How does this offense get going when Burrow can't become Superman?

That's the question this staff needs to answer moving forward. Their quarterback is limited, but he's still one of the smartest players in the league. They could be without Tee Higgins for multiple games after he fractured his ribs on Sunday, but they still have Ja'Marr Chase and Tyler Boyd at wide receiver.

This offensive line is far from perfect, but they're better than they've been in recent years.

Taylor and Callahan have to find the magic elixir to [at least temporarily] solve their issues. The Bengals are limping physically and metaphorically. Their star isn't able to play like one right now.

How will they respond?

Finding a solution won't be easy. It likely requires Lou Anarumo's defense to play at a much higher level moving forward.

The Bengals have responded well to adversity in recent years, but this feels different. They don't have an identity and they better find it quickly if they're going to make another run in January.

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