By Adam Neiberg

Joe Burrow’s stellar rookie season came to an end this past Sunday as the rookie tore both his ACL and MCL against the Washington Football Team, but not before injecting hope into the Cincinnati Bengals franchise. 

The Bengals have been looking for someone to elevate their franchise for years now as their defense began to age and it became clear that Andy Dalton was not the person to bring the Lombardi Trophy to Cincinnati. 

The fans and the franchise lost hope that they would have a chance to contend again for a long time. However, Joe Burrow was able to quickly change the entire outlook of the Bengals franchise and although his rookie season came to a horrific end, Burrow was already embedding himself in history among rookie quarterbacks before the season was even close to being over.

In only 10 games, Burrow became the first rookie quarterback to throw for over 400 yards, 3 passing touchdowns, and one rushing touchdown in a single game. He was also on pace to throw for over 4,500 passing yards, which would have shattered Andrew Luck’s rookie passing record at 4,374 yards. He was also on pace to tally top 5 all-time numbers  for passing percentage and touchdowns thrown by a rookie. 

Joe Burrow has been an invaluable piece to the Bengals this season, and it has become clear that as long as Burrow is healthy, the Bengals are a team that can compete for the playoffs. 

The Bengals have a very bright future with Joe Burrow as the face of their franchise, but Joe Burrow is not the only piece they will need if they intend on competing for the playoffs and beyond for years to come. 

The Bengals also have one of the worst all around defenses in the league, having one of the worst ranked secondary’s, defensive lines, and linebacking corps.

The Bengals have one of the worst offensive lines from top to bottom, with only one of their offensive lineman being ranked above 32nd among NFL starters via pro football focus. Joe burrow was one of the most pressured, hit, and sacked quarterbacks in the league, making it only a matter of time before he got injured. 

The Bengals have the face of their franchise in Joe Burrow.  If they want to really become a legitimate playoff threat with Burrow at the helm, the franchise has a lot of work to do in order to build a winning team around their star quarterback. Joe Burrow has proven that he has the ability to raise the Bengals to a level much higher than that of his predecessors in Andy Dalton and Carson Palmer. Although the Bengals are 2-7-1 thus far this season, there is a lot to be excited for in Cincinnati.

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