New Joe Burrow footage makes Bengals' offensive line problem even more alarming

Joe Burrow's strange postgame exchange with Will Anderson Jr. suddenly doesn't seem quite as funny.

Following the Cincinnati Bengals' 20-6 victory over the Houston Texans, microphones caught Burrow thanking Anderson and Danielle Hunter for apparently popping one of his ribs back into place.

At first, it sounded like another example of Burrow's dry sense of humor. New footage from the game suggests otherwise.

During Sunday's contest, Burrow was caught on the sideline discussing the same hit with Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. Burrow told his receivers that one of the shots he took had popped his rib back into place and that afterward, it actually felt better.

Whether Burrow was describing exactly what happened medically is impossible to know. What isn't difficult to understand is how concerning the conversation should be for the Bengals.

Bengals can't keep asking Joe Burrow to survive this kind of punishment

Burrow entered Houston already dealing with an injury.

Cincinnati listed its franchise quarterback with a back issue throughout the week after he experienced tightness following the season opener against Tampa Bay. Burrow was limited in practice Wednesday and Thursday before returning as a full participant Friday.

He repeatedly downplayed the issue and never sounded particularly concerned about his availability.
Then Houston spent Sunday hitting him.  However, Burrow ended up thanking both Anderson and Hunter after the game.

Burrow was sacked five times and absorbed five additional quarterback hits against a Texans pass rush featuring Anderson and Hunter. He still completed 20 of 31 passes for 207 yards, threw two touchdowns to Chase and finished without a turnover.

Even though the Bengals won. That shouldn't make the punishment Burrow absorbed any less concerning. In fact, the newly released sideline footage makes it harder to ignore.

Burrow wasn't simply joking with an opponent after Cincinnati had already secured the victory. He was discussing the situation with Chase and Higgins while the game was still being played.

Again, that doesn't establish exactly what was happening physically with Burrow. But it does reinforce something Bengals fans have watched far too many times throughout his career: Cincinnati's most important player continuing to take punishment while finding a way to play through it.

The Bengals have spent years trying to prevent exactly that.

And Sunday's performance showed that the job still isn't finished. Amarius Mims continued to look impressive on the right side, and Burrow specifically called him "lights out" afterward. But Cincinnati's protection as a whole wasn't nearly good enough.

Orlando Brown Jr. had an especially difficult afternoon on the opposite side, PFF charged him with 4 pressures and 3 sacks against Houston, while giving Cincinnati’s veteran left tackle a 43.9 overall grade, this makes him rank 60th of 66 qualified tackles.  It’s no wonder Houston was able to consistently find ways to collapse the pocket and make Burrow uncomfortable.

There is also no time for Cincinnati to casually work through those problems. The next test might be even more important. The Bengals travel to Pittsburgh in Week 3, where T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith are waiting.

Through two games, Pittsburgh already has seven sacks, tied for second-most in the NFL. Watt has 3.5 of them, while Highsmith has three. That's an uncomfortable matchup for any offensive line.

It's considerably more concerning when the quarterback behind that line just spent the previous Sunday talking about a hit apparently making his rib feel better.

Cincinnati doesn't need perfection from its offensive line

Burrow is going to get hit occasionally. Elite pass rushers get paid enormous amounts of money specifically because offenses can't completely eliminate them. But there is a massive difference between occasionally allowing pressure and repeatedly asking Burrow to survive afternoons like Houston.

The Bengals finally appear to have something they haven't enjoyed consistently during the Burrow era: a defense capable of winning games when the offense isn't firing on all cylinders. That should make protecting Burrow easier, not less important.

Cincinnati doesn't need him playing hero ball every Sunday anymore. It shouldn't need him proving how tough he is, either.

The Bengals escaped Houston with a victory, Burrow finished the game, and he said afterward that he was fine. Those are all positives. But the newest footage provides another reminder that Cincinnati can't continue treating Burrow's ability to absorb punishment as part of the offensive game plan.

Especially with T.J. Watt coming next.

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