Whether Joe Burrow will play, or even be 100 percent healthy, became the dominant storyline for the Cincinnati Bengals against the Houston Texans in Week 2.
Burrow started the week of prep off with minimal work before ramping up to standard work by Friday, but the Bengals had to put him on the injury report. Zac Taylor said Burrow was good to go, but the club also elevated a quarterback from the practice squad
to have a third ready.Precautionary measures or something more?
Impossible to say, but all signs from practice seem to point at a normal week for Burrow, although back issues can admittedly be tricky.
Burrow started the season last week with a win over Tampa Bay, throwing for 254 yards with a touchdown and one miserable interception that
turned into a pick-six. His rushing attack averaged just 3.9 yards per carry and the offense favored Mike Gesicki, leaving Ja’Marr Chase to catch just two passes for 12 yards.
The real story was the suddenly good Bengals defense, which forced four turnovers and this week gets to add first-round product Shemar Stewart back to the mix.
The Bengals will need that defense to be on point again in Houston, where C.J. Stroud enters after a two-touchdown showing in a 36-31 loss to the Buffalo Bills.
If nothing else, and provided Burrow is healthy, the Bengals at least appear to have a health advantage. Stroud won’t have a top weapon like wideout Nico Collins, while the Texans defense will miss multiple linebackers and pass-rusher Jadeveon Clowney.
Assuming all things are normal with Burrow, he’s the better quarterback straight-up, has better weapons around him and finally has a competent defense. That won’t stop some from making the Bengals an upset pick on the road this week, which makes sense, but it’s fair for the Bengals and fans to have some confidence going into this one.
Ideally, the Bengals will come out spamming the ball quickly to minimize hits on Burrow, getting Chase his big bounce-back game while the defense brings enough pressure on Stroud to force another handful of turnovers.
Prediction: Bengals 28, Texans 21
This article originally appeared on Bengals Wire: Final score predictions for Bengals vs. Texans in Week 2
