Bengals: Five pessimistic predictions for Cincinnati’s 2020 season
By Alex Austin
Joe Burrow struggles more than expected for a rookie
Joe Burrow is being heralded as the savior of the Cincinnati franchise. After historic numbers put up in his senior season, Burrow became an absolute lock for the first overall pick in the draft. The Bengals moved on from Dalton and are giving the keys to Burrow from day one. But, what if Burrow was a product of his surroundings?
Burrow had one of the greatest college seasons ever, leading his team to the National Championship and taking home the Heisman trophy. He was superman in his last college season. The season before, however, showed mediocre quarterback play on a team that struggled in the SEC.
In 2018, Burrow put up average stats at best. He threw for 2,894 yards with a 57.8% completion rate. He was a far cry from the 60 touchdowns he had in 2019, throwing just 16 touchdowns to 5 interceptions.
If Burrow puts up numbers similar to those he posted in his first year at LSU, the offense will stall just as often as it did with Dalton. The Bengals are banking on the improvement of Burrow learning a new offense and adapting to a new scheme and system. It might take Burrow a year or two to get completely comfortable with a new system in Cincinnati. If that’s the case, 2020 will be a year of growth, and probably not much winning.