Closing the Curtains on the Burrow-Bengals Honeymoon

 

Joe Shiesty... Joe Brrr... Joe Cool... These are just a few of the nicknames Joe Burrow has collected on his way to stardom. The former LSU quarterback took the nation by storm during his 2019 collegiate senior season, putting up one of the greatest stat lines ever by throwing for 5,671 yards and 60 touchdowns. Given this, it is not hard to see why they won the national championship that year. The LSU star then became the number-one overall draft pick in the 2020 NFL Draft to the Cincinnati Bengals.


A Successful Start to the Marriage

His rookie campaign had a strong start, throwing for 2,688 yards through 11 games and 13 touchdowns. However, he was sacked 32 times and this beating ended up costing him the rest of the season as he went down with a torn ACL in Week 11's game against Washington. 

However, all this set him up to have an incredible comeback story the following year. The Bengals drafted former LSU wideout (and teammate of Burrow) Ja'Marr Chase in the 2021 NFL Draft and they picked up right where they left off. Burrow threw for 4,661 yards, completing 70-percent of his passes, and connected for 34 touchdowns in the regular season. Chase had 1,455 of those yards and 13 of those touchdowns. 

This explosive offense led the Bengals to the Super Bowl against the Los Angeles Rams last season. Sacks, however, still plagued Burrow as he was sacked 51 times in the regular season and 19 times in the post-season. This lack of protection proved fatal as they lost the Super Bowl on the last play of the game as Burrow was rushed out of the pocket and forced to throw an errant pass as Ja'Marr Chase was running wide-open down the sideline. 

The End of the Honeymoon

Entering the 2022 season, the Bengals had attempted to beef up their line with the addition of offensive tackle, La'el Collins. Yet, so far this season, it seems as if Joe Burrow's honeymoon era with the Bengals has come to an end after last season's Super Bowl run.

In just two games Burrow has already been sacked 13 times while throwing 4 interceptions to only 3 touchdowns. This already puts him on pace to be sacked over 100 times this season. To put in comparison, the rest of the Bengals division, the AFC North, has only taken 8 sacks total between the three teams. 

More Difficult Times Ahead?

In addition to the lack of protection by his linemen, the same offense that gave the Bengals so much success the previous year is the same one that is causing the onslaught of sacks. Nearly all the passing plays have the wide receivers running deep vertical routes, causing Burrow to stand longer in the pocket. Without sufficient time to allow the routes to develop and go through his progression, Burrow is often left being pummeled by defenders before given the chance to throw. 

As these are the same issues that have surrounded the Bengals since Burrow's rookie season, it would seem as if the Super Bowl run was simply a nice honeymoon phase for Burrow and his team. Getting sacked 5+ times in a game is not a recipe for success. If Joe Burrow and the Bengals are to make a return back to the Super Bowl, the lack of protection for the quarterback needs to be addressed. 











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