Grading Joe Burrow's performance from Week 2 loss

The Cincinnati Bengals are 0-2, and quarterback Joe Burrow hasn't yet bounced back from his season-opening four-pick performance. Here's how he graded out in Week 2.

Is it time to ring the alarm yet? In a game in which the Bengals were certainly not the underdogs, Cincy fell to the Dallas Cowboys 20-17.

There's a lot of finger-pointing going on after that deflating defeat: Zac Taylor for poor time management, the Bengals' offensive line, but even star quarterback Joe Burrow can't escape the blame.

Everyone believed Burrow had merely hit a rough patch in Week 1 and would hit his stride the following week. "It only gets better from here." Spoiler: It does not.

The 2021 Comeback Player of the Year hasn't found his form through two games of the season, and fans are rightfully starting to get worried.

Burrow finished with 199 passing yards and just one touchdown, receiving a worse overall quarterback rating than Cowboys' Cooper Rush.

Yet it should be noted that Burrow was sacked five more times than Rush and at this rate, he's apparently on pace to be sacked over 100 times in 2022.

Bengals' Joe Burrow Week 2 Report Card

Week 2's matchup against the Cowboys heavily favored the Bengals since Dak Prescott was sidelined due to injury. As good as Dallas' defense was and as much as the Bengals' O-line needs to improve, Burrow had little excuse for his poor passing performance.

On a day when AFC North rival Lamar Jackson was breaking records for the Ravens, Burrow noticeably struggled in the pocket and couldn't pick apart the Cowboys' secondary.

Burrow at least played a much cleaner game, but his chemistry with his wide receivers just wasn't there. Tee Higgins led the team with 71 yards and one touchdown, Ja'Marr Chase had 54 yards, and Tyler Boyd had 17. Those aren't the productive numbers you would expect from one of the most talented and dynamic offenses in the league.

To give Burrow credit where it's due, he did finally get things going in the fourth quarter, scoring a touchdown and completing the two-point conversion. That gave Cincy a sliver of hope for a comeback victory, but on the next possession the offense went three-and-out on a potential game-winning drive.

The Bengals also can't afford to score their FIRST touchdown in the fourth quarter of a game. Three of Cincy's earlier offensive drives ended in field goals; while that makes Evan McPherson look good, it suggests that the offensive unit isn't humming as well as it was in 2021.

The offensive line deserves plenty of flack, but so does Joe Burrow, who gets a C+ grade in Week 2.