Joe Burrow somehow willed the Cincinnati Bengals to Super Bowl LVI despite a dreadful offensive line that featured newly minted Baltimore Ravens guard Hakeem Adeniji as a starter.
Adeniji was little match for Aaron Donald and the Los Angeles Rams' ferocious defensive front in the Big Game. To be fair, a Donald-led d-line is a tough draw for any opponent, but the Bengals were laughably outmatched on the NFL's grandest stage.
Nevertheless, Burrow and the last competent core of Bengals defensive players only lost 23-20. That was the identical score of the next year's AFC Championship Game in Kansas City. Adeniji once again started, this time at right tackle. If Donald does come out of retirement, Adam Schefter's implied projection of a Bengals-Rams Super Bowl rematch sounds way more appealing with Dalton Risner at right guard and Amarius Mims at right tackle.
While he does have undeniable big-game experience, Adeniji isn't some, "we owned you!" AFC North revenge subplot with which the Ravens fans can dunk on the Who Dey faithful. For the uninitiated, proceed below for an Adeniji primer in the wake of his signing on in Baltimore. as reported by ESPN's Jeremy Fowler.
Adeniji lives in Bengals infamy from deep playoff runs
Whether he was at right guard or right tackle, Hakeem Adeniji didn't help the cause much as Burrow got battered throughout those two epic postseason trips that yielded a 5-2 record.
Trust when I say that Who Dey Heads worldwide were livid at the state of Joe Shiesty's o-line. He got sacked nine times on the road against the mighty Mike Vrabel's No. 1 seed Tennessee Titans. Burrow somehow won that game, dragging Adeniji's animated turnstile of a corpse with him.
Had the Bengals gotten radical and listened to me back in 2021, they might've been able to score Ja'Marr Chase and Penei Sewell in the same draft. You can't convince me Cincinnati wouldn't have a Lombardi Trophy by now with the Lions' All-Pro Sewell in the trenches.
Haters say, "Joe Burrow was carried" to playoff glory. Pity those relative fools, because Bengals fans know all too well the all-world grit Burrow showed to keep taking so much punishment and still gut out clutch wins in the biggest moments.
Hence why it's a nonsensical notion that Burrow is under massive pressure this year. And hence why Adeniji has made just one NFL start since 2022.
Hopeful Ravens fans will be disappointed
If the adorable Baltimore flock is hoping Hakeem Adeniji is the answer to their current uncertainty at swing tackle, well, good luck with that. In the unfortunate event that first-round pick Olaivavega Ioane or free-agent signee John Simpson go down at either Ravens guard spot, Adeniji won't be some magic fix there either.
Lamar Jackson is coming off a down, injury-plagued year. Unlike Burrow, the two-time NFL MVP relies a lot on his running ability to be an elite QB. It feels like the Ravens' offensive line will give Lamar a little taste of what Joe Brrr dealt with on those Bengals teams of yesteryear,
Might I quoth to you, Ravens folk, Adeniji's PFF pass blocking grades from his three biggest playoff starts? Doing it anyway. Bear in mind, these scores run on a scale from zero to 100:
- AFC Championship at Chiefs (Part 1): 1.9
- Super Bowl LVI vs. Rams: 26.0, 3 sacks allowed
- AFC Championship at Chiefs (Part 2): 38.0, 3 sacks allowed
Looks like quite the suboptimal proficiency to me. Nay, disastrous.
Did the Ravens not see enough of Adeniji in the division some years back to know signing him was a bad idea? Whatever. Go off, Eric DeCosta. Will just let you keep cooking over there.
Good luck to Baltimore. If the goal is to win a Super Bowl with Jackson, it's a mighty uphill battle with that offensive line they've assembled in front of him. Only an extraordinary field general like Burrow and select other few can flourish amid such trying circumstances.
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