CINCINNATI (AP) — As Joe Burrow goes, so go the Bengals. And neither is in a superb place proper now.
The Professional Bowl quarterback is everyday with the lingering results of a proper calf pressure suffered early in coaching camp. He didn’t follow Thursday and doesn’t know if he’ll have the ability to go when the Bengals host the Los Angeles Rams on Monday evening.
If he can’t, backup Jake Browning — a former follow squad QB who had his first and solely NFL cross try in Week 1 — will get the nod. He gained the job in coaching camp.
“You need to be prepared, and Browning is a superb succesful backup, as nicely,” Rams coach Sean McVay mentioned. “However I believe you’d need to be foolish to not put together for among the finest. We’ll discover out in all probability afterward within the week — or perhaps 90 minutes earlier than kickoff — whether or not he’s going or not.”
Whether or not it was Burrow’s damage or his lack of follow time, or just a little of each, the Cincinnati offense has been gradual to rev up and the defending AFC North champion misplaced its first two video games for the second consecutive season.
Late in final Sunday’s 27-24 loss to the Ravens, Burrow aggravated the calf damage and limped off the sphere.
It’s no time to panic, Cincinnati coach Zac Taylor mentioned.
“I’d argue that this isn’t adversity. That comes (with losses) later within the 12 months, usually,” Taylor mentioned. “We all know that this season’s a marathon. We stumbled out the field, however once more, we’ll decide up the tempo, and (I) really feel like we’ll be in fine condition because the season goes.”
The Rams (1-1) gained at Seattle in Week 1, then got here away with loads of positives in a 30-23 loss to powerhouse San Francisco final week.
Rookie receiver Puka Nacua, second-year operating again Kyren Williams and third-year wideout Tutu Atwell led the best way in a 386-yard effort by the Matthew Stafford-led offense.
Stafford threw for 307 yards and topped Peyton Manning’s NFL document for probably the most yards passing by a quarterback in his first 200 video games.
BUSY MAN
With Cooper Kupp sidelined with a hamstring damage, Nacua set a single-game rookie document with 15 catches for 147 yards final week, giving him an NFL-leading 25 receptions already this season.
However that workload has come at a value to the fifth-round draft decide from BYU, who sustained an indirect damage in his debut at Seattle. McVay mentioned he has been cautious with Nacua in follow and is on the lookout for methods to reduce the wear and tear and tear.
MIXON IN THE MIX
His numbers haven’t been gaudy, however Bengals operating again Joe Mixon has been a gradual presence for an inconsistent offense. The seventh-year professional carried 13 occasions for 56 yards in Week 1, and 13 occasions for 59 yards final week.
THROW ME SOMETHING
Cincinnati’s Ja’Marr Chase was vocal after final week’s sport about not getting sufficient deep balls thrown his approach. The 2021 Offensive Rookie of the Yr had 5 catches for simply 31 yards in opposition to the Ravens. The longest was 13 yards. In Week 1 he had 5 receptions for 39 yards, with an extended of 12.
Offensive coordinator Brian Callahan mentioned opponents’ defensive schemes, to not point out the awful climate in Week 1, have stored the Bengals from throwing deep extra typically.
“I believe typically Ja’Marr talks, and it simply comes out his mouth,” Callahan joked. “He’s pissed off as a result of his manufacturing isn’t what he’s accustomed to, and that’s OK. I don’t have an issue with that. We’ll nonetheless preserve looking for methods to get him the ball, as some ways as we will.”
SUPER PIECES
Whereas the present Rams are largely unrecognizable from the group that defeated the Bengals within the Tremendous Bowl after the 2021 season, their protection nonetheless has two key items that tormented Burrow. Defensive deal with Aaron Donald had two sacks and two tackles for loss in that sport, and center linebacker Ernest Jones had a sack and two tackles for loss.
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