Joe Burrow, Bengals praised by Colts' DeForest Buckner ahead of preseason showdown

If the Cincinnati Bengals don't play their starters in their final preseason game against the Indianapolis Colts on Thursday night, at least one person will be very disappointed.

During their second preseason game against the Arizona Cardinals, Colts defensive tackle DeForest Buckner joined the broadcast booth and heaped praise upon the Bengals in general and Joe Burrow in particular. 

Buckner hoping to go against Cincinnati's starters (and Bengals fans are hoping to see it)

During his in-game interview, Buckner discussed going through joint practices and a preseason game against the Bengals.

"It’s a great opportunity to go against a great offense," the defensive tackle stated. "Joe Burrow, obviously he’s back healthy. Everybody knows the type of quarterback he is. I mean, he’s one of the best quarterbacks in the league when he’s healthy. It’s going to be a great opportunity for the defense, for our defense to go up against a talented offense like them.” 

It will also be good for the Bengals to go against the Colts’ defensive line. Buckner, Adetomiwa Adebawore, Grover Stewart, and rookie Laiatau Latu will be an excellent challenge for Cincinnati’s pass blockers. 

Additionally, fans of the Bengals also want to see the stars play in their matchup against the Colts. The game would be more entertaining for those who want to see the stars sans Ja’Marr Chase heading into the regular season.  

Another issue for fans and the team is that the Bengals are notorious for getting off to a slow start. Zac Taylor’s squad has started 0-2 in three of the last four seasons. The starters not playing in the televised warm-ups is a possible reason for those lackluster starts. 

Hopefully, Buckner and Cincinnati fans get what they want. After not playing in their second preseason game, the Colts plan on playing their starters for "at least a half" in Cincinnati. Buckner could have a chance to face the Bengals and the starting QB during the game. The Bengals' offense should get some much-needed preseason work to avoid a third straight 0-2 start. 

However, if Coach Taylor does not choose to play his starters, it will be because he understandably views health as more important than reps in the final preseason game. He may also opt to sit out the guys at the top of the depth chart after getting work in for them in the joint practices, as he did against the Chicago Bears.

Let’s hope the starters get at least one drive that ends with a touchdown, just like what happened against the Buccaneers in the first outing of the preseason. An added and welcomed bonus would be if they announced that Chase signed a contract extension as the offense is walking off the field after said touchdown.