Joe Burrow is a great season finisher. As a season starter, not so much.
With Sunday’s loss to the Patriots, Burrow fell to 1-8 for his career in games played during Week 1 and Week 2.
It seems hard to believe, I know. Here’s the proof.
In 2020, the Bengals lost to the Chargers at home, 16-13, to start the season. The next week, Cincinnati fell in Cleveland, 35-30.
In 2021, the Bengals beat the Vikings in overtime to start the season, 27-24. In Week 2, the Bengals lost at Chicago, 20-17.
In 2022, the Bengals lost at home to the Steelers, 23-20, in Week 1. In Week 2, the Bengals lost at Dallas, 20-17.
In 2023, the Bengals lost at Cleveland in Week 1, 24-3. The following weekend, Cincinnati lost at home to the Ravens, 27-24.
This year, the Bengals and Burrow are already 0-1. They’ll try to avoid falling to 0-2 when they face the Chiefs in Kansas City.
They easily could be 0-9 in the first two games of the season during the Burrow era. In the lone win, former Vikings coach Mike Zimmer decided to defend midfield on fourth and short with less than a minute to play as if it was the end zone — allowing Burrow to find tight end C.J. Uzomah over the top for the gain that put the Bengals in range for the game-winning field goal.