Cincy Jungle
The Cincinnati Bengals are headed back to Paycor Stadium licking their wounds amid a three-game losing skid. Up next, they’re hosting the top team in the AFC, the New England Patriots.
One of the biggest story lines as we approach is whether quarterback Joe Burrow will suit up for the team after being a full participant for two straight days on Wednesday and Thursday. He left Week 2’s game against the Jacksonville Jaguars with a toe injury that required surgery. The team speculated 12 weeks to recover, but some medical experts said they would be shocked if he returned at all. If he suits up, it certainly changes the tone of things if he isn’t playing at a drastic disadvantage because of the injury. We likely will not know that until we do or do not see him.
We do know that we will not see Ja’Marr Chase on the field as the wide receiver is the first player in NFL history to be suspended for a game with the cause listed as spitting on an opposing player. This happened as the Bengals were trying to claw their way back into the game against the Pittsburgh Steelers last week. He appeared to spit on Jalen Ramsey after the play. Ramsey, of course, was tossed from the game for committing a personal foul with his retaliation.
All of that is to say New England will be an immense challenge even if both Burrow and Chase were on the field 100% healthy. They are 9-2 and haven’t lost since Week 3. This team has been reinvigorated with the installation of head coach Mike Vrabel. Quarterback Drake Maye has also taken a significant step forward in just his second season. He has thrown 20 touchdowns to only five interceptions. He had 15 touchdowns and 10 interceptions last season. Part of that has been Stefon Diggs providing a true WR1 target. However, Maye has not been afraid to spread it around when necessary.
Last week, rookie running back Trayveon Henderson had three touchdowns on Thursday Night Football against the New York Jets. If the Bengals haven’t cleaned up their tackling issues, he could easily repeat or expand on that performance come Sunday.
