Confession? I don’t have a freaking clue how Joe Burrow’s calf magically healed over the last two weeks. And I was certainly concerned Burrow might have forced things against the Cardinals last week in a “must win” spot and, similar to the fallout from his performance against the Rams, we might see a little injury regression against Seattle in Week 6. That wasn’t the case at all, with Burrow looking downright spry at times, including an almost shocking scramble around with several Seahawks defenders chasing him.
The box score doesn’t scream “explosive offense” — Cincy won a grinder 17-13 — but Burrow was efficient, looked healthy and, most importantly, the Bengals moved to 3-3 as they head into a much-needed bye week.
Burrow said earlier this week he felt “close to 100 percent” back from the calf injury and, quite frankly, I didn’t believe him. Did this dude fly to Germany midweek to get some kind of Kobe Bryant knee treatment on his calf? The NFL on CBS crew passed along Burrow’s explanation: rest, better diet, hydration and routine, basically.
Whatever happened, it’s working. Burrow suffered the injury in training camp on July 27 — it’s been less than three months since the initial injury, but it feels like an eternity since those steamy summer days — before tweaking his injured calf in a Week 2 loss to the Ravens. Things got so dark some lunatic fringe Bengals fans suggested throwing Burrow on injured reserve to “save the season.”
Instead, Burrow worked through it and did just that without missing any time. Getting to .500 isn’t the Bengals goal. They want to win the Super Bowl. But at various points already in this young season it felt like a possible lost year for Burrow and Co. Instead, they’re heading into a Week 7 bye knowing Burrow will only get healthier over the next two weeks with massive matchups against the 49ers and Bills looming immediately after the…
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