For the first time of the Zac Taylor era, the Cincinnati Bengals have started the season 2-0. It's a bizarre feeling for Bengals fans considering this team's propensity to start the year slowly but here they are with a perfect record two games into the season.
Unfortunately, their 2-0 start came at a massive price, as star quarterback Joe Burrow went down with a [toe injury that will sideline him for at least three months](https://stripehype.com/joe-burrow-latest-injury-update-delivered-bengals-gut-punch). It's frustrating for the Bengals because the team finally started off on the right track and now they'll have to play these next three (at least) months without the best player on their team.
Albert Breer of _Sports Illustrated_ [discussed the Burrow injury](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=teZ7-5tAGpY) heavily on Tuesday and said that there are three silver linings for the Bengals even with their quarterback missing the next three months.
_**"The first silver lining is the fact that they now have a 2-0 cushion. They have not played very well through two weeks, but they get the win over the Browns last week in a bit of an uneven performance. And then they come back this week and they're able to beat the Jaguars with Jake Browning in there as their quarterback. And the presence of Jake Browning would provide the second silver lining. Two years ago, Jake Browning started a bunch of games with them. They have confidence in him," Breer said. "And then the third silver lining here, I would say, is the schedule. It is relatively manageable over the next three months. And I have a Week 15 game against the Steelers or against the Ravens circled for Joe Burrow's return. That is exactly three months to the day of Joe Burrow's injury. Now, three months, of course, is an expedited timetable. But if you can get back there for that Week 15 game against the Ravens, if you look at their schedule, you can see a scenario where maybe they can go 6-5 over the 11 games between now and then. That'll put them at 8-5 going into that Ravens game. Maybe different parts of their team grow as a result of not having Joe Burrow in there."**_
The TL:DR (too long, didn't read) here is that Breer highlighted the 2-0 start, Jake Browning's experience filling in for Burrow in the past, and the manageable schedule as reasons the Bengals could still end up in the playoffs down the road. He did say that his schedule take was more of an optmistic one, as there's no gurantee that Burrow returns three months to the date of his injury.
Albert Breer explains how Bengals are still a threat even without Joe Burrow
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Everything Breer said makes sense here though! People have always clowned on the Bengals for not starting their seasons quickly but that isn't the case this year. It doesn't matter that Cincinnati has narrowly won both games (or rather the opposition has found ways to lose the game), a win is a win.
It's also true that Browning has experience as a starter for this team. He knows Zac Taylor's offense and, with Burrow out for the foreseeable future, he's the best option to run Taylor's system. Browning might not have been perfect in the Week 2 win over Jacksonville but he did enough to help propel this team to victory, especially on that final drive.
Lastly, the schedule isn't daunting by any stretch. The Bengals finished in third place in the AFC North a season ago so instead of having to play the other top teams in the league like the Ravens do, they get less intimidating teams. Sure there are some tougher games (like against the Lions, Packers, and Bills) but the rest of the division have to play those teams too.
Breer said that he could see a scenario where the Bengals are 8-5 by the time Burrow is maybe able to return. If that ends up being the case, you slide Joe Shiesty back into the lineup late in the season and this team catches fire, other teams are going to be terrified of playing them in the postseason.
It's understandable why some people might be counting the Bengals out. Joe Burrow is one of the best quarterbacks in the league and losing him certainly makes Cincy's path to the playoffs more difficult. Be that as it may, there is absolutely still a path for this team to make the postseason and to do some damage once they get there.