The Cincinnati Bengals and their star quarterback, Joe Burrow, have had a challenging start to the 2024 NFL season.
Not only did they suffer a shocking Week 1 home loss to the New England Patriots, despite being heavy favorites, but concerns have also resurfaced about Burrow’s wrist following his shaky performance.
A clip from the CBS broadcast, which quickly went viral, added fuel to the fire.
The footage showed Burrow repeatedly flexing his wrist on the sideline and seemingly struggling to pick up a water bottle while sitting on the bench.
Needless to say, Bengals fans went into a bit of a panic thinking the worst, especially since Burrow has struggled to stay healthy at times.
Burrow, however, brushed off any concerns when asked about the video, responding with a mix of surprise and humor.
“I picked it up weird?” Burrow asked reporters with a grin. “I don’t know, I drank water. I can’t say I’ve seen that or know what anybody’s talking about.”
In the viral clip, Burrow does appear to use both hands to lift the bottle, but he downplayed the moment, signaling that it was nothing out of the ordinary.
The Bengals’ struggles extend beyond the viral video.
After the stunning 16-10 loss to the Patriots in the opener, Cincinnati now faces a much tougher challenge in Week 2, as they travel to Kansas City to take on Patrick Mahomes and the reigning Super Bowl champion Chiefs.
Kansas City comes into the matchup fresh off a win over the Baltimore Ravens and will enter the game as significant favorites.
Meanwhile, the Bengals are left with many questions after their lackluster performance and Burrow’s uncharacteristic play, not to mention ongoing injury concerns.
While slow starts have become a reoccurring theme for the Bengals in the Burrow era, they have routinely shown the ability to dig themselves out of holes.
Having said that, you can’t keep playing with fire if you’re Burrow and the Bengals.
With Mahomes and the Chiefs up next, there’s a decent chance Cincy will walk out of Arrowhead with an 0-2 record come Sunday evening.
What are your thoughts on Burrow? … Should Bengals fans be concerned?
What about the team as a whole? … What are your realistic expectations for Cincinnati this season???