After missing out on an international game last season, the Cincinnati Bengals were granted one. They will face the Atlanta Falcons at Santiago Bernabéu Stadium in Madrid, Spain, in Week 9.

It has been rumored that quarterback Joe Burrow was the main factor in the NFL’s decision to give them a game overseas. The NFL announced that the Miami Dolphins would be playing the NFL’s first game in Madrid in February 2025, and by March, speculation arose that the Bengals would be their opponent.

“Please be true,” Burrow wrote on his Instagram story in March 2025. Instead, the Washington Commanders got the opportunity to play the Spain game over the Bengals.

After the 2025-2026 season’s schedule was released, Burrow remarked during an interview that he would like to see the Bengals play an international game next season. Burrow then revealed that his main motive for volunteering to be on Netflix’s Quarterback show was to spread the game to more international fans.

“Part of the reason I wanted to do the Quarterback show was to help grow the game internationally, and so to not have a stage like that is a little disappointing,” Burrow said. “Because I feel like I’ve consciously worked hard to try to grow the game internationally over the last 18 months or so. So hopefully at some point in my career, we can go over there.”

The Bengals will be playing their first international game of the decade and their first since 2019, when they lost 24-10 to the Los Angeles Rams at Wembley Stadium in London, England. They also tied the then-Washington Redskins 27-27 in 2016, making the Spain game Cincinnati’s third appearance abroad.

The team celebrated the announcement by photoshopping Burrow’s Instagram story from last year. Burrow also believes that the Bengals are a good team to spread the game abroad.

“The game has a lot of room to grow,” Burrow said Tuesday on the team’s website. “Just like basketball did in the ’80s and ’90s. The Bulls kind of spearheaded that. Made it global, and hopefully the Bengals can do the same thing over the next couple of years for the NFL.”

After losing their first two international contests at Wembley Stadium, the Bengals are one of seven teams to have never won an international contest.

Cincinnati Bengals superstar quarterback Joe Burrow was seen by paparazzi leaving the annual Vanity Fair Oscars after-party with influencers Alix Earle, Stassie Karanikolaou and pop-star Tate McRae.

Burrow was seen getting into an SUV with the three women, hiding his face from the paparazzi. Burrow has been seen with many famous women in the past, including actress Jessica Alba, for whom dating rumors swirled before being debunked.

These photos will certainly draw attention and spark online rumors, as Earle is fresh off a relationship with NFL wide receiver Braxton Berrios. The social media influencer was also seen getting close to Tom Brady during the week of the Super Bowl.

McRae, on the other hand, is reportedly exclusively dating New Jersey Devils winger and gold medalist Jack Hughes.

Burrow was last in a relationship with influencer Olivia Ponton, but it seems that Burrow is back on the market and keeping his options very open.

The Bengals will hope to return to the playoffs, led by Burrow, who hasn’t played in the playoffs in over two years. The former Heisman trophy winner battled injuries last season and hopes to be fully healthy for all of next season.

For now, Burrow is enjoying the offseason before he gets back into the swing of things for the Bengals.

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow made his return for the first time since September in the team’s Thanksgiving clash against the Baltimore Ravens.

His response? Two touchdowns and over 250 passing yards as the Bengals took home a 32-14 victory and snapped a four-game losing streak.

Burrow, who was playing in only his third game of the season after suffering a toe injury in Week 2’s win over the Jacksonville Jaguars, went 24 for 46 in completions during the victory.

“[It] hasn’t been easy on me through six years from a lot of different angles, but I’ve worked really hard to put myself in a position to be back out there,” Burrow said after the game. “And a lot of people around me have done the same.”

Following Burrow’s long-term injury, the Bengals acquired veteran quarterback Joe Flacco in hopes of keeping the team in playoff contention. Flacco went 1-5 as starting quarterback but recorded 13 passing touchdowns and only four interceptions.

Defensively, however, the Bengals’ defense suffered. At the start of this weekend, the team ranked last in the NFL with defensive yards per game (410) and touchdowns allowed (45). Since Week 3, the Bengals have given up 331 points and allowed 25 points or more in every game, leading up to the win against the Ravens.

Cincinnati will play five more games to close out the 2025 regular season. Burrow looks to help the Bengals finish the year strong after a long journey to recovery.

“There’s no better feeling than that, putting in work for a long time and going out and it paying off,” he said.

The Cincinnati Bengals will be without their star quarterback, Joe Burrow, for a significant amount of the 2025 season.

The Bengals confirmed Burrow was diagnosed with a Grade-3 turf toe injury and torn ligaments requiring surgery. The procedure is expected to sideline the quarterback for at least three months, forcing the team to adjust its playoff aspirations.

Burrow sustained the injury during the second quarter of Sunday’s 31-27 win against the Jacksonville Jaguars. He was sacked by defensive lineman Arik Armstead and appeared to land on his foot awkwardly as he went down.

The quarterback attempted to walk off the field, but was visibly limping. He returned to the sidelines with a boot and left the stadium with crutches.

Backup quarterback Jake Browning kept the Bengals afloat on Sunday in Burrow’s place. Browning completed 21 of 32 passes for 241 yards, three total touchdowns, and three interceptions, taking advantage of what could have been a game-ending incident.

Sunday was not the first time Browning took over for Burrow due to an injury. In 2023, Browning played the last seven games of the season after Burrow suffered a season-ending wrist injury.

Browning’s efforts secured a Week 2 win for the team and helped the Bengals overcome a detrimental slow start in previous seasons. After the game, Browning admitted that jumping in on such short notice was not easy.

“Preparing without taking reps is a challenge,” Browning said in the winning team’s locker room. “My most recent game wasn’t too long ago. The way the NFL works is preparing the starting quarterback to be ready, and it’s on the backup to stay ready. If you get to Sunday and you aren’t prepared…”

In short, it is on the backup if they aren’t ready, but Browning showed he was. Although he wasn’t perfect in the game, throwing three interceptions, Browning appears capable of taking on the Minnesota Vikings in Week 3.

The Bengals’ biggest challenge is to stay afloat in the playoff hunt without their star quarterback. The team will face the Vikings on Sunday, Sept. 21, at U.S. Bank Stadium.

The Cincinnati Bengals have one of the top offenses in the NFL, and it runs through star quarterback Joe Burrow and his running mate, star wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase.

The 28-year-old signal-caller is coming off one of the better passing seasons in recent memory, in which he threw for 4,918 yards, 43 touchdowns and nine interceptions while completing 70.6% of his passes with a 108.5 passer rating.

Some analysts felt Burrow should’ve gotten more consideration for MVP after leading the league in passing yards, touchdowns and finishing fourth in completion percentage; however, that honor went to Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen.

The 29-year-old Wyoming alum had one of the statistically worst seasons of his career (3,731 yards passing, 28 touchdowns and six interceptions), but he led the Bills to a 13-4 record and nearly had them playing in their first Super Bowl since 1994 before running into Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs.

While the debate about which quarterback is the best in the NFL – a designation that Burrow and Allen are 100% in the running for – is one that gets many people fired up, Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase tried to make a case for his quarterback during an appearance on FanDuel TV’s Up & Adams this week – only it backfired.

Chase was seemingly trying to explain why Burrow stands out above Allen, but he actually ended up making the case that opposing defensive coordinators fear Allen more than Burrow.

“When you turn on Joe’s tape, it’s different than Josh Allen’s tape,” Chase said. “People game plan against Josh Allen, not against Joe Burrow. They plan against his game weapons; you know what I’m saying.”

In Chase’s defense, a few seconds earlier, he was explaining exactly what makes Burrow one of the best at his position.

“Honestly, I feel like he has it all – the timing, the accuracy, the placement, the speed, the awareness – he has it,” Chase stated. “The field recognition, I mean, what else? He audibles in the backfield.”

Burrow and Allen have only gone head-to-head twice in their NFL careers.

The Bengals edged out the Bills for a 24-18 win in Week 9 of the 2023 season and again two months later in the AFC Divisional Playoffs in a 27-10 Bengals victory.

The Cincinnati Bengals’ first-string offense played two series in Thursday night’s preseason opener, and both series ended with Joe Burrow touchdown passes. But Burrow wasn’t satisfied afterward.

“It’s good to play football again,” Burrow said. “I could’ve been better, I missed the first throw. I threw all the other ones where I wanted to put them but I could have spun it a little better … We got to be better. Too many procedural penalties, too many errors. Things like that are gonna happen, but I think it just wasn’t clean enough, across the board.”

After an incomplete pass to Tee Higgins on his first throw of the night, Burrow went 9-for-9 for 123 yards the rest of the way. In addition to his two touchdown passes, Burrow had another touchdown pass negated by a chop block penalty.

The Tanner Hudson touchdown capped the opening possession and came just two plays after the chop block penalty against Lucas Patrick. It set up first and goal at the 21, but Burrow hit Charlie Jones for nine yards before connecting with Hudson on the touchdown. Hudson later caught a touchdown pass from backup quarterback Desmond Ridder.

Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase picked up right where he left off last season, catching four passes for 77 yards and a touchdown.

“Just the threat of being hit is a big reason we want those guys on there. He knows he’s not going to get hit in practice,” head coach Zac Taylor said. “So I think just for it to feel real in a game, whether he’s getting hit or not, I think just him having the knowledge that it’s possible, you know, someone can lose a one-on-one and you hit on the backside, a free runner can come in,… you can’t simulate that rep in practice.”

It’s hard to judge much when the Bengals played all their starters on offense and the Philadelphia Eagles did not play all their starters on defense, but Burrow and Chase looked sharp. If Burrow is right that the Bengals’ offense will get better, that’s a scary thought for the Bengals’ opponents.

Last December’s home burglary made Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow change his mind about a big purchase.

Burrow canceled his previous purchase of a replica, fully functioning Batmobile, he revealed in the latest season of the Netflix show Quarterback, which was released on Tuesday. The decision came after his Cincinnati home was broken into last December while the Bengals were on the road playing the Dallas Cowboys.

Burrow’s novelty vehicle purchase was initially revealed during last year’s in-season installment of Hard Knocks, which chronicled the seasons of the four AFC North teams. But in Quarterback, Burrow confirmed that the robbery altered his plans.

“I didn’t end up getting the Batmobile because I just had other things I wanted to deal with at that point,” Burrow said.

Both the Netflix series and HBO’s Hard Knocks covered Burrow’s initial excitement over the purchase, which retails at $3 million. Once the break-in occurred, however, Burrow’s tenor shifted.

On the show, Burrow spoke extensively about the burglary that led to multiple arrests and a federal grand jury indictment that alleged members of an extensive criminal network robbed Burrow’s home.

“I just get very uncomfortable,” Burrow told the show. “My life is very public. That comes with the job, but there’s certain parts of your life that are yours. Your house is one of those.”

One scene from Quarterback showed Burrow having a conversation with former Bengals defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo about what happened. Along with the discomfort that came with an increased presence around his home and other personal information, like the link between Burrow and social media influencer Olivia Ponton, Burrow expressed long-term concerns about the situation.

“We’ll see if I end up moving or not,” Burrow told Anarumo in footage aired on the show. “Now the whole world knows where I live now. But that hasn’t been very fun to deal with.”

Legal records indicate that Burrow’s home has not changed hands since it was purchased for $7.5 million in July 2023, shortly before Burrow signed a $275 million contract extension with the Bengals.

The Cincinnati Bengals had one of the most up-and-down seasons, going 9-8 in 2024. The team missed the playoffs for back-to-back seasons for the first time since 2020. Despite missing the playoffs, the Bengals had one of the best offensive seasons in NFL history, with quarterback Joe Burrow leading the NFL in passing yards with 4,918 and 43 passing touchdowns.

All-Pro wide receiver Jamar Chase also had a historical season, becoming the fifth player in NFL history to lead the league in catches, touchdowns and yards as a receiver. While the offense was historic, the defense struggled heavily, ranking 25th in yards allowed per game, with an average of 348.3. The Bengals ended their season on a five-game winning streak but missed the playoffs due to a 4-8 record to start the season.

Cincinnati came into the offseason with huge question marks surrounding key players like Ja’Marr Chase, Trey Hendrickson and Tee Higgins. The team made huge moves, resigning both star wide receivers Chase and Higgins to four-year extensions. Higgins’ extension was worth $115 million, and the Bengals made Chase the highest-paid wide receiver in the league with a $161 million contract. The Bengals also re-signed other key players like defensive tackle BJ Hill, tight end Mike Gesicki and offensive tackle Cody Ford.

The most significant question mark left for the Bengals is whether or not All-Pro defensive end Hendrickson will be traded or get a new contract with the team. Hendrickson led the league with 17.5 sacks last season and is seeking a new contract with the Bengals after requesting a trade during the offseason. His future remains unclear, as there has been a lack of communication between the team and him regarding an extension.

The Bengals also brought in new faces, including middle linebacker and Super Bowl champion Oren Burks, who was a key part of the Eagles’ Super Bowl run from last season as well as former Packer defensive tackle TJ Slaton and running back Samaje Perine, who are returning to the team after two seasons with the Chiefs and Broncos. The only notable loss this offseason was offensive tackle Trent Brown, who only started three games before suffering a torn patellar tendon, which ended his season.

Cincinnati went defense in the first two rounds of the draft to help improve their unit from last season, selecting Texas A&M defensive end Shemar Stewart in the first round and linebacker Demetrius Knight from South Carolina in the second. Both players will need to add to a struggling defense if the Bengals hope to return to the playoffs for the first time since 2022.

With the 14th most demanding schedule, according to Fox Sports, the Bengals will need their defense to step up to return to the playoffs in 2025. The Bengals have been notorious for starting the season slowly over the last few seasons. Still, they will have a relatively easy first three weeks against the Browns, Jaguars and Vikings with an unproven quarterback in JJ McCarthy. The Bengals’ biggest games will come against the Lions in week five, the Packers in week six, and the Bills in week 14.

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Playing in the AFC North is no easy task, as teams must face the Ravens, Steelers and Browns twice throughout the year. If the Bengals hope to get back to the Super Bowl after making it in 2022, it will require another MVP-level season from Burrow and a much-improved defensive season, hopefully with Hendrickson back on the team.

CINCINNATI BENGALS SCHEDULE & TICKET DEALS

• Week 1: Sept. 7 at Cleveland Browns
• Week 2: Sept. 14 against Jacksonville Jaguars
• Week 3: Sept. 21 at Minnesota Vikings
• Week 4: Sept. 29 at Denver Broncos
• Week 5: Oct. 5 against Detroit Lions
• Week 6: Oct. 12 at Green Bay Packers
• Week 7: Oct. 16 against Pittsburgh Steelers
• Week 8: Oct. 26 against New York Jets
• Week 9: Nov. 2 against Chicago Bears
• Week 10: Bye week
• Week 11: Nov. 16 at Pittsburgh Steelers
• Week 12: Nov. 23 against New England Patriots
• Week 13: Nov. 27 at Baltimore Ravens
• Week 14: Dec. 7 at Buffalo Bills
• Week 15: Dec. 14 against Baltimore Ravens
• Week 16: Dec. 21 at Miami Dolphins
• Week 17: against Arizona Cardinals
• Week 18: against Cleveland Browns

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CINCINNATI BENGALS SEASON & GAMES ODDS

The Bengals open the season with +2000 odds of winning the Super Bowl and a +950 to win the AFC North. They also open up the season with -140 odds to win their first game vs the Cleveland Browns and are favored in 10 of their games to start the season. The Bengals will be favorites to make the playoffs after missing them last season after a disappointing end to the season last year.

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Last season, Cincinnati Bengals star quarterback Joe Burrow played at an MVP level last year, but the Bengals missed the playoffs due to a lackluster defense. Many sports media pundits either thought he was the best quarterback in the league due to him leading the league in completions, yards and touchdowns, or they put the blame for the Bengals’ problems on his shoulders.

Burrow himself offered his own take on the Bengals’ situation months after the Bengals were officially eliminated from the playoff picture.

“If I had played even better, we wouldn’t have been in that spot that we were in,” Burrow said, via Bengals.com. “I just focus on getting better myself, and I feel like everyone in the locker room feels the same way. If I go out there and play better than I did last year, then it doesn’t matter what goes on anywhere else.”

It is hard to argue with Burrows’ point because every player in history could say the same thing and have a ring. Most quarterbacks in the NFL put the pressure of the team on their shoulders, so they get the credit when the team is doing well, but on the flip side, they get the blame when the team does not meet expectations.

In 2024, Burrow had 4,918 passing yards, 43 touchdown passes and a 70.6% completion percentage while only throwing nine interceptions. Burrow had almost 300 more passing yards than the quarterback who was second in yards, which was Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff, and two more passing touchdowns than Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson and Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield.

Burrow will be looking to lead the Bengals to their first Super Bowl victory in franchise history this year as they will face the Cleveland Browns in week one of the NFL regular season.

Since star quarterback Joe Burrow‘s sophomore season in the NFL, the Cincinnati Bengals have been preseason contenders each year – including, of course, a Super Bowl run in 2022.

Although Burrow receives the most attention, other players have been fundamental in elevating a Bengals squad that too often has had offensive-line and defensive deficiencies. A Bengals squad, notably, that is backed up by a stingy pocketbook; they have the least amount of money earmarked for non-quarterback players in the entire league.

Now, following a disappointing season where Cincinnati barely missed the playoffs despite a late-season revival, three important players are in need of a deal.

Ja’Marr Chase, who claimed the triple crown after leading the NFL in receptions, yards and touchdowns in the 2024 season, was the Bengals’ first-round pick in 2021. He’ll likely receive the richest deal ever for a wide receiver – possibly by a wide margin. Chase’s signing is not an if but a when.

More controversially, wide receiver Tee Higgins is up for a new deal for the second time in two years after the Bengals franchise tagged him last year. Higgins will hit free agency on March 12.

The Bengals are reportedly looking to sign Higgins long-term, which may be difficult with the batch of deals they’re tasked with constructing this year. Sources say they’re likely to opt for a second franchise tag if the sides aren’t able to reach a deal by March 4, the tag deadline, which would allow an additional four months to work on one. If a deal isn’t signed by July 12, Higgins would play on a salary of $26.17 million in 2025.

Finally, despite the failures of the Cincinnati defense this past season, there was one significant bright spot that nevertheless flew under the radar. His name is Trey Hendrickson, and he was named first-team All-Pro at defensive end for the 2024 season, recording a league-high 17.5 sacks and concluding as the runner-up Defensive Player of the Year.

Hendrickson has played out a four-year, $60 million contract with the Bengals that started in 2021, but the team is reportedly anxious to keep him as the cornerstone of their defense.

Burrow, meanwhile, has been clear on his wish to keep his teammates, up to and including restructuring his own contract.

“You could convert some of the money to a signing bonus, which will lower the cap hit,” Burrow said. “You can push some of the money to the back end of the contract. That lowers the cap hit. And then when you get to the back end of the contract, you can restructure it and convert it to a signing bonus. You can also just take less money.”

Burrow signed his own extension last offseason, at a whopping five years and $275 million. It’s no surprise the Bengals are looking to win with him – and soon.

Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen, Joe Burrow, Jared Goff and Saquon Barkley have been named as finalists for the NFL MVP Award. As high-performing quarterbacks on top AFC teams this season, Jackson and Allen will likely vie for the top spot, but Barkley’s 2,000-yard rushing season has put him squarely in the conversation.

Burrow and Goff deserve consideration as finalists, but there are serious obstacles barring them from winning the award. Burrow arguably had the best season of his career, carrying a mediocre Bengals team, but only two players in NFL history have won MVP while missing the playoffs. Goff, on the other hand, successfully led an exciting Lions offense from the pocket, but the team benefitted from a run-heavy scheme.

There was a period in 2024 when it seemed inevitable that Allen would win the award. In Weeks 14 and 15 against the Rams and Lions, the Bills quarterback had two monster games in a row, scoring five times through the air and five times on the ground. Buffalo scored 90 combined points in that span.

Carrying his team through the air and on the ground, many were ready to coronate Allen on the spot. But this moment of clarity dissipated nearly as soon as it arrived, as Jackson began a torrid stretch of his own to end the season. The Ravens quarterback and reigning MVP scored 13 combined touchdowns in the final four games, finishing the regular season with 41 passing scores and just four interceptions, along with 915 rushing yards and another four rushing touchdowns. 

While these two passers dueled in the AFC, culminating in a 27-25 Bills victory in the AFC Divisional Round, Barkley was making his own MVP case as a running back in the NFC. In his first season with the Eagles, he helped bring the team back into Super Bowl contention, rushing for 2,005 yards. Becoming the ninth rusher in NFL history to join the 2,000-yard club earned him a spot as an MVP finalist.

The playoffs don’t have any bearing on the MVP race, but all three players were integral in their teams’ success in the regular season. The Bills and Eagles are in their respective conference championship games this weekend, while the Ravens were eliminated by Buffalo in the most competitive game of the divisional round. 

From a statistical standpoint, all three were overwhelmingly valuable to their teams. Despite already winning two MVPs, Jackson had the best season of his career. Allen’s year, in comparison to previous performances, is more arguable, but it is one of his best in terms of both passing and rushing production. Meanwhile, Barkley took full advantage of a new situation in Philadelphia, proving the value of an entire position at a time when running backs are being undervalued. All three are deserving of the award in one of the most competitive races in recent memory.

For the first time in his NFL career, Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes has been crowded out of the elite tier. The three-time Super Bowl Champion was not named to the initial 2024 Pro Bowl roster, an honor he has received every year since becoming Kansas City’s starter in 2018.

For all of Mahomes’ accolades and accomplishments, as well as the Chiefs’ current status as Super Bowl favorites, there are few arguments to justify a spot for him in the Pro Bowl. If he competed in the NFC, there would be a remote chance of him pulling rank on the likes of Jared Goff or Jayden Daniels. In the AFC, however, there is no debate. Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow are dominating the race for MVP and all three have made an unimpeachable Pro Bowl case. Mahomes has not.

Over the course of the season, Jackson and Allen have delivered virtuoso performances through spectacularly dynamic play. Jackson has thrown for 3,955 yards and 39 touchdowns while only throwing four interceptions; Allen has thrown for 3,731 yards and 28 touchdowns. Jackson has been a consistent menace in the rushing game while Allen has also proven more than capable of running when needed, particularly in several high-scoring games in the past month.

While these two have effortlessly blazed their teams’ trails to playoff berths, Burrow has been on his own mission, singlehandedly carrying an otherwise unremarkable Bengals team back into contention. Seemingly always in close games despite sustained explosive production, he has thrown for 4,641 yards and 42 touchdowns. He’s a staggering one-man show dragging Cincinnati, kicking and screaming, within one game of the postseason heading into Week 18.

On paper, Mahomes’ 2024 statistics aren’t necessarily foreign to this conversation. Closely mirroring Allen in passing, he has thrown for 3,928 yards, 26 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. But Allen has been a threat on the ground as well and had a number of heroic performances in important games. Mahomes has been more conservative, reflecting the Chiefs’ deliberate, grinding approach as a unit this season.

It has happened in the past that great players have sacrificed individual honors for the greater cause. Tom Brady had several seasons that were less productive on paper in the prime of his career, as the Patriots enjoyed elite defensive play that allowed the team to slow down opponents. Brady’s achievements in those seasons were as a general, not a playmaker. 

To say that Mahomes has completely adopted this piloting role would also be misguided. He remains a dynamic talent and the Chiefs are not afraid of creative play calls. His statistics are perfectly reasonable for an elite quarterback. His failure to receive a Pro Bowl invitation is more a result of timing. 

As Mahomes takes a step back in the interest of his team’s thorough and fundamentally sound play, it just so happens that three extremely talented quarterbacks in his conference have all had to step up. The AFC’s top trio of MVP candidates are perpetually on the front line, integral performers each and every week. It’s the role that Mahomes has assumed for the majority of his career. It’s the one he assumed when his entire team infamously failed him in his only Super Bowl defeat in 2021.

When doling out individual honors, the NFL looks for players who have made a singularly valuable contribution to their team, primarily in the form of statistics and victories. In the playoffs, however, the teams that most often succeed are the ones with multiple ways to win. It seems like an increasingly distinct possibility that Mahomes and Kansas City gets the last laugh.

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow did not hold back after his team blew a ten-point fourth-quarter lead and lost in overtime to the Baltimore Ravens last Sunday.

“We’re not a championship-level team right now,” he said. “We’re not. I like to think that we’ll come back and improve throughout the season to get to that point, but right now, we are not, and we have to get better.”

The Bengals are 1-4 after a horrendous start to the season, including losses to the lowly New England Patriots and blown leads to the Ravens and the Kansas City Chiefs. Coming back from a season-ending injury in 2023, Burrow did not play to his standards in the first few games of the year, but he threw for 392 yards with just nine incompletions against Baltimore, signaling he knocked the rust off. Still, the QB did not take any moral victories from the defeat.

“I know exactly how we are 1-4,” he said. “We’re not making plays at the end of the game to go and win it. Definitely not in disbelief. I know exactly what’s happening.”

The Bengals need to turn around their misfortune quickly, as they are already two games back in the AFC North of the Pittsburgh Steelers and Ravens, who sit at 3-2. Coaching and defense are the most prominent problems they face, as head coach Zac Taylor made some questionable decisions last week, including running the ball three times to set up a 50-yard field goal that his kicker missed.

Of course, the game did not need to come down to a kick if the defense did not allow 30 points for the second time in three weeks. The loss of safety Jessie Bates in free agency to the Atlanta Falcons looms large over a secondary that continuously turns receivers loose in the back end. Next for Cincinnati: Sunday Night Football on the road against the New York Giants, where the Bengals are 3.5 point favorites, according to ESPN Bet.

The rivalry between the Chiefs and Bengals will reignite this weekend as the two teams prepare for the sixth time in three years. As the two teams prepare, Bengals defenders seem to be directing their taunts toward rookie Chiefs wide receiver Xavier Worthy.

Worthy, the speed pass catcher out of Texas, broke the record in the 40-yard dash at this year’s NFL Combine, competing the drill in 4.21 seconds. He was selected with the 29th overall pick by the Chiefs, who have always looked to pair speedy receivers with quarterback Patrick Mahomes.

In his debut last weekend, Worthy seemed to live up to the hype, blazing down the sidelines for a 35-yard touchdown against broken coverage and rushing for another 21-yard score. When Bengals defenders were asked what he brings to the Chiefs offense, however, trash-talking cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt was dismissive.

“Speed, that’s about it,” Taylor-Britt told reporters. “He can run straight — run jet sweeps and just run straight. He can’t do too much else, so that’s about it.”

It’s true that Worthy isn’t necessarily known as an efficient route runner, but to put down any player after a two-touchdown debut is a dangerous game for a defensive player. Between Rashee Rice, Isiah Pacheco, Travis Kelce and the return of Hollywood Brown, the Chiefs enjoy an abundance of weapons around Mahomes. Worthy’s presence as a deep threat might be one-dimensional, but it’s doubtful that the Ravens would dismiss him if the two teams played again.

While the Chiefs are coming off a nice win in an AFC Championship game rematch from last year, the Bengals need to recover quickly after a humiliating loss to the New England Patriots. Joe Burrow and company were completely ineffectual in their season opener, suffering several costly fumbles that cost them dearly in a 16-10 defeat.

Burrow has consistently proven equal to Mahomes in head-to-head matchups throughout his career, but after a poor 2023 season in which he struggled with injuries, it is unclear if he is prepared to take on the reigning Super Bowl Champions this time around. At every level, the team needs to prove that it can still contend in the AFC, which could make Week 2 a highly valuable acid test.

Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, who played in ten games and threw for over 2,300 yards last year, has his sights on having a bounce-back 2024 after a season-ending injury. However, the QB already has his sights on 2028.

On a recent episode of Pardon My Take, Burrow stated that he wouldn’t mind joining the United States flag football team. “I want to play for the Olympic Flag Football team,” Burrow said. “Like me, Ja’marr Chase and Justin Jefferson, me and my friends playing football. I think it’d be cool.”

The signal-caller noted that it would be “embarrassing” if the U.S. didn’t win a gold medal in the sport’s inaugural Olympics. Patrick Mahomes and Tyreek Hill also expressed interest in participating in 2028’s Olympic games.

Flag Football will debut at the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. It is similar to standard football, but instead of tackling, players remove flags attached to the ball carrier. Flag Football was added to expand the NFL’s effort to take the game of football abroad.

The International Series succeeded in the U.K., drawing crowds of over 75,000 each year, prompting the NFL to expand matches to Mexico, Germany and, starting this season, Brazil. Fans may see women’s flag football become an Olympic sport someday as it’s gaining traction in the States. Multiple high schools and universities established women’s flag football programs as the NFL supported its growth.

After sitting out of off-season programs, Cincinnati Bengals WR Tee Higgins signed his franchise tender, which guarantees $21 million from the franchise tag as Higgins stays in Cincinnati for another season.

Higgins missed all of the mandatory minicamp with hopes of a new deal. He did not want to receive the franchise tag, but he and the Bengals are clearly far apart with a long-term extension. Higgins requested a trade a couple of months ago, as he hoped that another team would offer him the long-term offer, but no deal ever transpired or appeared close.

The deal expects Higgins to be in black and orange when training camp comes around, although he would be fined if he did not participate.

Cincinnati is beginning to feel the cap crunch after signing QB Joe Burrow to a five-year $275 million deal at the beginning of last season. The team moved off of RB Joe Mixon this offseason as they traded him to an in-conference rival, the Houston Texans. Along with the new deal for their star quarterback, Jamar Chase will look for an extension soon. His deal should mirror similar to what Minnesota Vikings WR Justin Jefferson just made with a record-breaking four-year $140 million contract. With those contracts at the top of GM’s Duke Tobin‘s mind, Higgins has felt frustrated with the lack of extension talk in the last couple of years.

Higgins has been a mainstay in the Bengals’ reinsurance since being drafted to Cincinnati in the second round of the 2020 draft. However, he struggled last season, playing in just 12 games while dealing with a hamstring injury. His health concerns and Burrow’s season-ending injury caused the WR to have the lowest yard total of his career, 656, and the fewest receptions.

With the departure of #3 WR Tyler Boyd and a new contract on his mind, Higgins hopes to prove his worth in the upcoming season.

Panthers tight end Hayden Hurst has been diagnosed with post-traumatic amnesia after taking a hit to the head in a game against the Chicago Bears on November 9.

Hurst’s father announced his son’s diagnosis on social media Wednesday.

Hurst took to social media himself after the announcement to comment on the incident and his progress. The Panthers’ tight end returned to practice this week.

“I appreciate everyone reaching out & checking on me,” Hurst said on X Thursday. “I suffered a pretty nasty concussion against the Bears a few weeks ago & don’t remember up to 4 hours after the game. Scary situation but the Panthers have been incredible walking me through this process.”

It is suspected that Hurst sustained his head injury on a play in the fourth quarter against the Bears when he struck the ground hard and struggled to get up. He has not appeared in a game since.

“While it was scary, it is NOT career-ending,” Hurst wrote in a follow-up post. “I’m starting my return to play this week, so fingers crossed I make it back for the last few weeks! God Bless & Keep Pounding!!!!”

Concussions continue to be an issue for the NFL as it makes multiple efforts to minimize their impact, from rule changes to improved equipment. But Hurst is just one of many players who have missed time because of a head injury, joined by the likes of Dolphins wide receiver Jaylen Waddle and Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson.

Few players who have sustained concussions report symptoms as severe as Hurst, who claims to not remember four hours after the Bears game. Memory loss is common, however, as Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow attested to in an interview last year. He claimed to have forgotten stretches of games and considered it a part of the sport.

“You can make all the rules you want to make the game as safe as you possibly can, but there’s an inherent risk and danger with the game of football,” Burrow said. “You have 300-pound men running 20 miles an hour trying to take your head off while you’re standing still trying to ignore it, and find receivers that are open … That’s part of the game, I think. Part of what we signed up for. You’re gonna have head injuries, you’re gonna tear your ACL, you’re gonna break your arm. That’s the game that we play. That’s the life that we live. And we get paid handsomely for it.”

During the Cincinnati Bengals’ Thursday Night Football 20-34 loss to the Baltimore Ravens, quarterback Joe Burrow exited the game with an injury to his right wrist. 

Burrow did not speak to reporters and is due to undergo further evaluation on Friday.

Zac Taylor, the Bengals coach, said that Burrow’s injury is a sprained wrist. 

Wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase commented on the situation.

“It’s not something I was expecting,” he said. “I didn’t know he had any problems or anything. It’s just tough seeing that happen during the game like that. But I hope he gets well.”

Burrow had issues holding and gripping the football during the second quarter, and he ended up having to leave the field.

He has been dealing with several injuries this season, including a calf injury that ruled him out early in the season. 

Prior to leaving the game, Burrow completed 11 of 17 passes for 101 yards and a touchdown. With Burrow sidelined, the Bengals will have to look to Jake Browning for the time being. Browning completed 8 of 14 passes for 68 yards and one touchdown against the Ravens. 

The Bengals, who are 5-5, play the Pittsburgh Steelers on November 26.

According to Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor, star quarterback Joe Burrow will miss a couple of weeks with a calf strain and didn’t suffer a major injury last Thursday in practice.

The 26-year-old will likely miss all of the preseason to make sure he is fully healthy for the opener Week One against their divisional opponent, the Cleveland Browns.

The former number-one overall pick from LSU back in 2020 was spotted in the locker room during the media access period, and Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic reports that Burrow walked normally with a compression sleeve on his right calf.

The Bengals franchise signal caller was rolling to his right during drills when he pulled up short and suffered a noncontact injury, as he was carted off the field.

“He was just scrambling,” Taylor said to reporters, via Fox 19 Now in Cincinnati. “This is football. Guys go down with an injury…. That’s just part of football in training camp.”

Cincinnati dodged a potentially massive blow for their team and organization, as Burrow is also the last big-name quarterback to get a massive extension to join the likes of Justin Herbert, Lamar Jackson, and Jalen Hurts (who all signed earlier this offseason). One that would likely make him the highest-paid player/ quarterback in the NFL, so it’s not a matter of “if” but “when.”

On Wednesday, one day before Burrow suffered a calf injury, he was asked about being healthy and having a normal training camp for the first time in his career, but unfortunately, this statement was short-lived.

“Knock on wood – I feel great,” Burrow said. “This time last year I was sitting in a hospital bed. It’s good to be out there with the guys. Excited about where we’re at.”

With Burrow missing the remainder of training camp, it will be his third in a row that he has not been able to participate fully due to injury.

In 2022, the Pro Bowl passer had a ruptured appendix that required surgery days before the start of training camp. In 2021, the former NFL Comeback Player of the Year and NFL Completion Percentage Leader was recovering from a torn ACL and MCL, one that ended his rookie campaign.

It is unknown if this injury could linger, as the Bengals didn’t specify what degree of calf strain Burrow suffered. If he were to miss any sort of time during the regular season, the backup quarterbacks behind him on the Cincinnati roster currently are veteran 31-year-old Trevor Siemian and journeyman 27-year-old Jake Browning. NFL Media’s Steve Wyche mentioned Browning is taking most of the first team reps in camp so far.

On Sunday, the Bengals did make a move for another camp arm to compete for the backup quarterback job and signed XFL’s Reid Sinnett, according to NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport, as the 26-year-old was with the Miami Dolphins for most of his 2022 tenure in the NFL. Cincinnati also worked out 25-year-old XFL and former Bengal quarterback Drew Plitt but opted for the more experienced Sinnett.

“It’ll be good to get another arm in there because that’s a lot of throws for these two guys,” Bengals head coach Taylor said on Friday.

Veteran quarterbacks, like Carson Wentz or Teddy Bridgewater, are still available in free agency if Burrow somehow suffers a setback or isn’t ready for Week 1, as their signing of another camp arm is likely to show that his injury isn’t serious enough to warrant panic his early.

With Burrow, the Bengals have a chance at repeating as AFC North Champions, but without him, if he misses any sort of meaningful time, it will hurt their playoff chances.

Bengals star wide receiver and Burrow’s good friend Ja’Marr Chase told reporters last Thursday why he thinks Burrow will be fine.

“We always give each other that nod,” Chase said after practice, via Dehner Jr. “He gave me a nod [to say] he’s all right. He’s a strong dude.”

“I wasn’t really worried,” Chase said. “I believe he’s all right.”

It sounds crazy, and Vegas might tell bettors otherwise. But based on every storyline going into this weekend’s AFC Championship game, Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs will be underdogs against Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals. Role reversals abound in this high-profile rematch.

Even before last weekend, the Bengals would have been a challenging, vexing matchup for the Chiefs. In three attempts, Mahomes has not yet managed to defeat Burrow in a rivalry that has already cost him a trip to a Super Bowl.

Though the Bengals were dangerous going into last year’s AFC Championship game, one could argue that they’re even stronger this year. The team has won 10 straight games, with its last defeat coming on Halloween. Burrow and Cincinnati are easily the hottest team in football and dismantled the highly touted Buffalo Bills in the divisional round to reach this game. The Chiefs’ momentum cannot compare.

Though Mahomes has repeatedly said that he’s fully prepared to play, anyone who watched him against the Jacksonville Jaguars would justifiably question those claims. After suffering a high ankle sprain in the first quarter, the star quarterback eventually returned but was noticeably limited in the pocket. He still mustered enough to secure a victory over Jacksonville and intends to do so against Cincinnati as well. But high ankle sprains take a notoriously long time to heal, suggesting it could be a serious issue moving forward in the postseason.

Between an injury to Mahomes and prior struggles against the Bengals, the Chiefs are now just one-point favorites, an advantage likely granted to them because the game will take place in Arrowhead Stadium. But with a trip to the Super Bowl on the line, Kansas City seems like the team with everything to prove. It would be foolish to call them outright favorites in the matchup, but it would be just as foolish to claim that Mahomes is incapable of overcoming the obstacles ahead.

In a profoundly talented generation of quarterbacks that includes Burrow, Josh Allen, Justin Herbert, Trevor Lawrence, Jalen Hurts and others, Mahomes still manages to stand out for many fans. In addition to a golden arm and superb field vision, his improvisational skills and penchant for risk-taking have made him a different kind of NFL star.

Early in his career, Tom Brady became known as a dynasty maker — he set out to crush his opponents and establish a legacy. Peyton Manning was a master tactician, a player with a militant playing style who could simply prepare and adjust better than nearly anyone he faced. Aaron Rodgers has always been an angrier, grittier type of competitor, one who wanted to own opponents on every play if he could.

Because of his unique skill set, Mahomes has always been different. Many have tried to find a comparison for him, but there isn’t one. Instead of a tyrant or general or student, he’s the closest thing the NFL has to a performer. He looks good regardless of the final score more often than not. The opponent feels inconsequential when he’s directing the Chiefs’ offense at the highest level, and though he plays in America’s roughest game, his victories never feel malicious or cruel. To put it simply, he’s Patrick Mahomes and they’re not.

This theatrical reputation that the Chiefs’ star quarterback has developed may make some people forget that he is also the type that refuses to sit with a high ankle sprain. He has emphatically removed any doubt that he would not appear under center for Kansas City this weekend. Behind all the talent, Mahomes is also a fierce competitor hell-bent on finishing the job he started. But an unexpected test lies ahead, and it may prove to be the biggest of his career.