It was a rough start for the Cincinnati Bengals in their first game without starting quarterback Joe Burrow. Against the Pittsburgh Steelers, the offence under Jake Browning’s leadership was unable to generate much confidence for the future.
Still, with six games remaining, the team’s hopes of making the playoffs are still very much alive.
Who can they defeat if they couldn’t defeat Kenny Pickett?
They travel to play the Jacksonville Jaguars, who are currently 8-3 and leading the AFC South, starting with the following game. It could be difficult to play your backup quarterback in a primetime game against a division leader.
With Trevor Lawrence back to full strength, his team looks ready for the postseason.
The Bengals’ next two opponents both have backup quarterbacks in store for them after that. It seems that the Indianapolis Colts and Gardner Minshew won’t be an easy out; if the season ended today, they would be in the playoffs.
The Minnesota Vikings, starting at centre with Joshua Dobbs, then visit town. Dobbs has performed admirably for Minnesota since being traded there at the deadline, despite his struggles in Week 12.
The rematch with Pittsburgh is in week sixteen. With Browning returning from his first meeting with more starts under his belt, will the offence be in a stronger position than before?
It seems like a difficult task to play the Kansas City Chiefs and Patrick Mahomes on New Year’s Eve, especially at Arrowhead Stadium.
They will play another backup quarterback against the Cleveland Browns to end the season. That game will be started by P.J. Walker or Dorian Thompson-Robinson. Cleveland’s historically strong defence has allowed them to sit at 7-4 in the playoff hunt despite this season’s quarterback carousel.
Without Burrow, there won’t be any simple victories, but the Bengals can’t lose, can they? Which game do you think has the best chance of winning? Use the poll below to let us know!
