The Cincinnati Bengals fell to 1-3 following their 27-3 loss to the Tennessee Titans on Sunday. Joe Burrow is of course dealing with a preseason calf injury he reaggravated in Week 2, but it appears he will fight through it.
Next up for Cincy are the Arizona Cardinals, who despite being viewed as the worst team in the league entering the year, have led in three out of four games played so far and scored a huge upset victory over the Dallas Cowboys in Week 3. In speaking with reporters on Wednesday, Burrow was asked if this week was a "must-win game." Before the reporter could finish their question, Burrow said, "Yes."
The Bengals are off to their worst start to a season since 2019, when they started 0-11 and finished 2-14. That led to Cincinnati landing the No. 1 overall pick, which it used on Burrow. The Bengals have punted on 52.3% of their drives this season, which is an NFL-high, and have been out-scored, 45-6, on the road.
Burrow was sacked a season-high three times in the blowout loss to Tennessee, but he said he feels great heading into Week 5.
"This is the best I've felt after a game, so I'm optimistic," Burrow told reporters.
Burrow said his calf issue hasn't affected him as a passer, but it has obviously affected his mobility and play-making ability.
"My ability to throw hasn't been affected," Burrow said. "Mainly just my ability to move in the pocket, run for first downs, extend plays by that little extra second."
Whether it's due to the injury or not, the Bengals have struggled with downfield passing all year. Burrow has completed an NFL-low 2 of 22 passes on throws of 15-plus air yards this season. He has the same amount of interceptions (two) as downfield completions. This is notable considering Burrow led the NFL in passing touchdowns of 15-plus air yards over the past two seasons (27).
The Bengals statistically have the worst offense in the league entering Week 5 (236 total yards per game), while Arizona is tied in having the seventh-worst defense (374.5 yards allowed per game). Burrow and Co. are looking for a bounce-back victory that can get this campaign back on the right track.