Things are going to go one of two ways when the Cincinnati Bengals visit the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday in one of the marquee Week 2 matchups.
One: Joe Burrow is back. Or two: Joe Burrow is not back.
Burrow admitted he struggled with sped-up timing in the season opener, the upset loss at the hands of New England. That much was apparent as he threw for just 164 yards and didn’t push the ball down the field.
We can debate about an overturned apparent touchdown catch by a tight end and a fumble while scoring a touchdown by another tight end, sure — but it’s really all about Burrow.
It’s no wonder Burrow struggled in his debut after coming back from yet another season-ending injury, especially when right tackle Trent Brown put in a bad showing, Tee Higgins was out and Ja’Marr Chase hadn’t repped all summer.
Still, even a struggling Burrow with missing weapons and such tends to beat teams like the Patriots that seem headed for a top-10 draft pick.
But they need him near-perfect to overcome Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs.
Those Chiefs started the season with a win over Baltimore as Mahomes threw for 291 yards with one score and interception. First-round wideout Xavier Worthy caught a score and the running backs were as bruising as ever.
In past years, the second game of the season has very much looked like the second preseason game for the Bengals. Dobule-digit missed tackles for 80-plus yards didn’t help against the Patriots.
As things stand now, Cincinnati has to do some dramatic course-correcting on both sides of the ball just to be considered a team that might be able to knock off the Chiefs at Arrowhead. They need Burrow in midseason form, virtually zero offensive mistakes, proper angles and tackling and managing to limit a two-time MVP.
The good news? An 0-2 start wouldn’t doom the season given the remainder of the schedule. But while it feels like the Bengals will improve on many of the issues from the opener, it won’t be enough against a Super Bowl favorite already in stride.
Prediction: Chiefs 24, Bengals 21
