The Bengals play two games on Monday Night Football (Week 3, Week 14) and two games on Thursday Night Football (Week 10, Week 16)Joe Burrow will face fellow Heisman Trophy winning LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels (Commanders) in Week 3 on Monday Night Football.
Cincinnati has nine games against 2023 playoff teams, including the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs in Week 2.
Joe Burrow is back. Anybody with a set of working eyes could watch the Bengals before and after Week 5 last season and note they looked like two different teams, depending on the health of Burrow. The star quarterback was statuesque in the first month of the season, made an immobile passer after suffering a calf injury early in camp, and Cincinnati suffered accordingly. When he finally turned the corner toward a healthier future in Week 5, the Bengals’ hopes skyrocketed, striking fear in the hearts of many of their AFC counterparts. That only lasted for roughly a month, though, as a wrist injury ended Burrow’s season and effectively doomed Cincinnati for 2023. Thankfully, that’s all in the past now, and Burrow appears to be on track to return at 100 percent. The Bengals’ roster is about as strong as it’s been in the Burrow era, and with the signal-caller healthy, Cincinnati’s arrow is pointing up. Its biggest remaining nemesis might just be the injury bug, and Burrow — who has already accumulated a concerning injury history — needs to come prepared with repellent. If he can avoid health issues, there’s no reason the Bengals won’t contend for the AFC North crown, filling out arguably the toughest division in football with one of the faces of the NFL’s bright future under center.
Will the Bengals miss Joe Mixon? In order to process Mixon’s departure, let’s lay out a few facts. Mixon rushed for 1,000-plus yards four times in seven seasons with the Bengals, including a 1,034-yard, nine-touchdown performance in 2023. By the end of his tenure with the team, he tallied 6,412 rushing yards and 49 rushing scores, plus 2,139 receiving yards and 13 rec. TDs. But he was also nearly released before Cincinnati traded him to Houston for a seventh-round pick. So, what was his value to this offense? And can Zack Moss effectively replace Mixon as the Bengals’ lead back? When healthy, Mixon made a difference, but he wasn’t a game-changer whose abilities superseded the execution of those around him. Still, he helped the Bengals stay competitive even after losing Burrow, racking up 1,410 scrimmage yards and 12 scrimmage scores, and it’s not guaranteed Moss (plus Chase Brown, Chris Evans and Trayveon Williams) will be able to replicate that. Evidently, the Bengals felt they’d be fine without Mixon, but I’m not convinced yet.
