Joe Burrow off to another sluggish start as Bengals fall to Patriots; should Cincy fans be concerned about QB?

This is becoming a trend for Joe Burrow. 

It was another pedestrian start for the Bengals quarterback in a dismal 16-10 home loss to the Patriots to begin the 2024 campaign, not too dissimilar from the 24-3 beatdown Cincinnati took at the hands of the Browns in Week 1 one year ago. 

In this loss on Sunday, Burrow went 21 of 26 for 164 yards without a touchdown nor an interception. That's a low 5.4 yards-per-attempt average. 

On the road against the Browns a calendar year ago, he went 14 of 31 for 82 yards and recorded what is still a career-low 52.2 rating. 

And in 2023, it wasn't simply a rusty, opening-week dud for the former No. 1 overall selection. Through Week 4, Burrow was completing less than 58% of his throws at 4.82 yards per attempt with a 69.1 rating. 

It was so startling, I wrote a piece on Cincinnati's widespread issues. I generally cited a lack of the Bengals' typical uber-confidence as the culprit. Specifically, I noticed an uncharacteristic hesitancy from Burrow, average-at-best blocking and the typical cast of characters at receiver simply not generating spectacular play when those opportunities presented themselves. 

Following my film-watching session of the Bengals' loss to the Patriots, I noticed glimmers of the same issues -- Burrow's hesitancy in particular -- but not nearly to the extent of last year. After all, this was one game. 

This was an early third-and-3 situation for Burrow, and head coach Zac Taylor called a natural rub route by Tanner Hudson to open Ja'Marr Chase in the flat at the top of the screen. See it, throw it accurately, Chase catches and, at the very least, falls forward for a first down. 

But there was hesitation from Burrow, as safety Jaylinn Hawkins attempted to work through the pick to get to Chase. And on a schemed-up play such as that one, especially one that features a reasonably long throw with a bad angle, hesitation can't happen, which is why Burrow got sacked. 

Then there was this, on what possibly was meant to be a fake screen to Chase. Based on the way Burrow hung on his No. 1 receiver, the ball could've been thrown to the first look. Except he didn't release the football. The vertical routes, that originally looked like blockers, were covered, and the play ended with an off-script throw that sailed over the head of the intended target in the end zone. 

Fortunately for the Bengals, Burrow's hesitancy -- along with he and Chase not exactly being in rhythm -- didn't continue throughout the opener. 

Notice here how much more assertive Burrow was on this dime to Mike Gesicki, which was initially ruled a touchdown but overturned on replay review. There was a minute hitch from Burrow, but he released this ball when the veteran tight end was on the five-yard line tightly covered. 

This was a critical two-play stretch for the Bengals and for the outcome of the game. On the next throw, Burrow hit Hudson over the middle, and safety Kyle Dugger forced a fumble as he was crossing the goal line. The Patriots kicked a field goal on the ensuing drive, then got another field goal after a punt to start the third quarter was muffed by Cincinnati. Essentially, those two plays amounted to a 13-point swing. 

As the game progressed, Burrow and the Bengals offense didn't necessarily get more aggressive, as the signal-caller only attempted three passes with 15 or more air yards. However, the hesitancy started to fade. 

This vintage Burrow-to-Chase connection in the fourth quarter highlighted said dissipation. 

Chase didn't even appear open, and Burrow uncorked a rocket with a safety over the top of the elite receiver. Essentially, Burrow threw him open, and Chase made an amazing grab through congestion. Yet, that 28-yarder was really the only splash play in this contest from Cincinnati's aerial attack. 

Don't lose hope, Bengals fans -- and I'm sure you haven't. 

If we're using history as a guide here, after the worrisome start to 2023, when the Bengals sat lowly in 26th in EPA per play, Burrow went from cold to, well... cooooold.  

In retrospect from that article I wrote from October 2023, these were the key lines: 

"What's encouraging for the Bengals -- the intangible confidence can reappear at any moment. And if it's sustained for more than a play or two, the lever on the circuit breaker is cranked skyward, and Burrow can be back, emphatically."

That's exactly what happened.

From Week 6 until he was shut down for the season with that serious wrist injury, Burrow completed more than 73% of his passes, at 7.76 yards per attempt, with 13 touchdowns, four picks and a 106.5 rating. And, heck, Jake Browning stepped in, completed a league-high 70.4% of his passes at 8.0 yards per attempt with 12 touchdowns and seven interceptions. In short, the offense, as a whole, cooked. 

The sample of Burrow making highly confident, pinpoint accurate throws well outweighs the timid stinkers, like the one he had against the Patriots to start the 2024. 

Therefore, I'm not concerned about Burrow and the Bengals. They do need to reestablish surgical timing and get their swagger back. When that happens, they'll again be one of the NFL's most dynamic offenses.