Baltimore Beatdown
Sunday marked the first time the Cincinnati Bengals have started a season 2-0 since 2018. However, an injury to quarterback Joe Burrow snuffed out any potential excitement.
According to NFL Network insiders Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero, Burrow suffered a Grade 3 turf toe injury and head coach Zac Taylor confirmed on Monday that he will undergo surgery. As a result, the Bengals will be without their star signal caller for a minimum of three months with backup quarterback Jake Browning taking over the starting job. Cincinnati has been down this road before, most recently in 2023 when a wrist injury sidelined Burrow for a sizable portion of the season. Browning finished the season for the Bengals, with the team going 4-3 under his command. They also overcame the Jaguars on Sunday with Browning under center, though their win might have been in spite of his three-interception performance rather than because of it.
Ja’Marr Chase was not fazed by the loss of his quarterback, as the All-Pro wide receiver went off for 165 yards and a touchdown on 14 catches. Chase and fellow star wideout Tee Higgins, who caught three passes for 56 yards and a touchdown on Sunday, will be counted on even more going forward to lift Browning’s play as the team desperately tries to remain afloat until Burrow’s eventual return.
Shemar Stewart, the Bengals’ first-round pick in 2025, was also injured during Sunday’s game. According to NFL insider Jordan Schultz, the athletic pass rusher “is believed to have avoided anything major,” and is currently “week-to-week.”
The Baltimore Ravens got back in the win column on Sunday against the Cleveland Browns to avoid consecutive 0-2 starts.
After a disastrous meltdown against the Buffalo Bills in Week 1, Baltimore’s defense stood tall against the Browns’ offense. They consistently generated pressure on former Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco, leading to two sacks, an Nate Wiggins interception, and a Roquan Smith fumble return touchdown. Bad luck struck the unit once again, though, as they surrendered another improbable tipped-pass touchdown that cut into their lead. This time, a pass that should have been intercepted by cornerback Marlon Humphrey instead bounced off his hands into the waiting arms of Browns wide receiver Cedric Tillman in the end zone. But rather than let the Browns build on that momentum, the Ravens answered with a 21-0 fourth quarter to close out the game.
The Browns defense backed up their talk about stopping running back Derrick Henry, limiting him to just 23 yards and zero touchdowns on 11 carries. They could not, however, slow down Lamar Jackson, who carved them up through the air by completing 19 of 29 passes for 225 yards and four touchdowns. Jackson’s stellar performance moved him ahead of Aaron Rodgers to become the all-time leader in passer rating at 102.65.
Third-year wide receiver Zay Flowers continued his hot start to the season as the driving force of Baltimore’s passing attack, leading the team with...
