Cincinnati Bengals

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow is optimistic about his chances of being ready to go when the team kicks off the 2021 season.

"I think I'll be ready," Burrow said Thursday on The Herd with Colin Cowherd. "I think I'll be just fine."

The 2019 Heisman Trophy winner suffered a major knee injury in Cincinnati's Week 11 defeat to the Washington Football Team. ESPN's Adam Schefter and Ben Baby reported at the time he tore his left ACL and MCL and sustained "other structural issues."

Not only did that end his 2020 season, but it also raised doubts about his availability for the start of next year. Schefter and Baby noted injuries as bad as Burrows' can require up to a full year of recovery.

This wouldn't be the first time a Bengals quarterback returned far earlier than expected, though.

In 2005, Carson Palmer tore his ACL and MCL and dislocated his kneecap in the Wild Card Round. There were early concerns his NFL career could be in jeopardy. The then-second-year QB ultimately didn't miss a game in 2006.

On Christmas Day, Burrow provided an update on his rehab. He shared a video in which he was able to walk on his own across a room:

Prior to getting hurt, the former LSU star showed why the Bengals made him the No. 1 overall pick this year. He threw for 2,688 yards, 13 touchdowns and five interceptions.

His injury underscored what has to be a top priority for Cincinnati this offseason. Despite only playing in 10 games, Burrow sacked 32 times, tied for ninth-most in the NFL. Upgrades along the offensive line are a necessity as he approaches his sophomore campaign.

A premature end to his rookie season hasn't dampened Joe Burrow's enthusiasm for 2021. 

The Cincinnati Bengals star tweeted on Monday that he "couldn't be more excited" about the future of the organization:

Burrow's season ended on Nov. 22 against the Washington Football Team when he suffered a torn ACL and MCL in his left knee when his leg got hit by multiple defensive players. 

The Bengals announced Burrow had successful surgery on Dec. 2. 

Per NFL Network's Tom Pelissero (h/t NFL.com's Kevin Patra), the Bengals "are anticipating" a rehab period of 8-9 months for Burrow.

That timetable could have Burrow on track to return for Week 1 of the 2021 season, but head coach Zac Taylor told reporters last month he didn't want to speculate about that.

Burrow was in the midst of a terrific debut season prior to getting injured. The 24-year-old was completing 65.3 percent of his passes for 2,688 yards with 13 touchdowns and five interceptions. He also rushed for three TDs in 10 games.

The Bengals roster remains a mess, but the franchise was trending in the right direction with Burrow under center. As long as he can return at full strength next season, they have the potential to be a sleeper team in the AFC North. Cincinnati (4-11-1) owns the No. 5 pick in the 2021 draft. 

Despite posting a 2-14 record in 2019 and a 4-11-1 mark in 2020, the Cincinnati Bengals announced Monday that Zac Taylor will return as the team's head coach in 2020.

"We remain bullish on the foundation Zac is building, and we look forward to next year giving our fans the winning results we all want... We must capitalize on opportunities in front of us. Next year we will earn our stripes," owner Mike Brown said in a statement. 

Taylor took over a team that had finished with a losing record and missed the playoffs in three consecutive seasons after five consecutive postseason appearances. He also took the reins from one of the NFL's longest-tenured head coaches, as the Bengals parted ways with Marvin Lewis after 16 years.

While Lewis was a highly experienced head coach, the 37-year-old Taylor had limited experience as a coach at any level. Aside from spending a few years as a graduate assistant at Texas A&M and one season as the offensive coordinator at the University of Cincinnati, Taylor was an assistant for the Miami Dolphins and Los Angeles Rams.

He served as a quarterbacks coach for four seasons in Miami and was the interim offensive coordinator for five games. After his one-year stint with the Bearcats, Taylor joined Sean McVay's coaching staff in L.A.

Taylor was the assistant wide receivers coach in 2017 and then graduated to quarterbacks coach in 2018. He was lauded for his work with Rams quarterback Jared Goff, who threw for 4,688 yards and 32 touchdowns and led a Rams offense that was among the best in NFL history with an average of 32.9 points per game.

The Rams went all the way to the Super Bowl, where they fell to the New England Patriots, and by that point, it was already apparent Taylor would be the next head coach of the Bengals.

Taylor was expected to work wonders with the offense in Cincinnati, but that wasn't the case in 2019, as the Bengals averaged just 17.4 points per game, which ranked 30th in the NFL. The Bengals followed that up by finishing 28th in scoring in 2020.

One reason for Cincinnati's offensive struggles was Taylor couldn't settle on a quarterback, as he went from veteran Andy Dalton to rookie Ryan Finley and then back to Dalton.

Also, wide receiver A.J. Green missed the entire season with an ankle injury despite the expectation that he would be back by midseason.

Given the difficult situation Taylor found himself in, Bengals management gave him a chance to right the ship in 2020.

The poor performance in 2019 did bring one positive, as Cincinnati selected quarterback Joe Burrow with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 NFL draft.

Burrow showed flashes of brilliance as a rookie and was in the hunt for Offensive Rookie of the Year honors, but a season-ending knee injury in Week 11 put the Bengals in a tough spot for the rest of the season.

By retaining Taylor for a third year, the hope is that he will get a full season with Burrow as his quarterback to see if he is truly the long-term answer at head coach.

Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver A.J. Green will be a free agent after the 2020 season, and the 10-year veteran told reporters Thursday that "anything is possible" regarding his NFL future, including the possibility that his team's game against the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday may be his last with the franchise:

Green has played his entire 10-year career in Cincinnati after the Bengals selected him with the fourth overall pick in the 2011 NFL draft. He made the Pro Bowl in each of his first seven seasons, averaging 79.4 catches, 1,173.3 yards and 8.1 touchdowns per year during that span. He posted career-highs of 98 catches, 1,426 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2013.

Cincinnati made the playoffs in each of Green's first five seasons, including AFC North titles in 2013 and 2015.

Injuries have beset the ex-Georgia superstar for much of the past five years. A hamstring tear suffered in Nov. 2016 forced him to miss the final six games of that season. A toe injury kept him sidelined for seven games in 2018, and torn ankle ligaments in 2019 prevented him from playing at all last year.

Green has played all 15 games this season but has struggled at times, catching a career-low 48 percent of passes thrown his way. He has 47 catches for 523 yards and two touchdowns this season.

The 32-year-old Green isn't entering free agency on a high note, but when healthy, he's been one of the best receivers in the game over the past 10 years.   

Injury rehab for Joe Burrow doesn't stop, even on Christmas Day.

The Cincinnati Bengals rookie quarterback shared a video in which he was walking without crutches as he continues to recover from a torn ACL and MCL in his left knee:

Rehabilitation can often be the most difficult aspect of an injury for an athlete because it requires months of gradual, repetitive workouts. And there really isn't a way to accelerate the process without risking a significant setback.

Burrow was getting the itch Monday night as the Bengals beat the Pittsburgh Steelers:

Seeing the 2019 Heisman Trophy winner make progress is an encouraging sign, but it will be a long time before he can actually play again. He could be out for as much as 12 months because of the severity of his injury.

Burrow last played Nov. 22 in a loss to the Washington Football Team, and a full year out of action would keep him away for a majority of the 2021 season.

Celebrating the small victories is one way to make rehab a little more tolerable, so Friday's video represents a great milestone for Burrow.

Joe Mixon didn't feature in the Cincinnati Bengals' 27-17 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday, but that didn't stop him from having some fun at JuJu Smith-Schuster's expense.

Mixon made a subtle reference to Smith-Schuster's habit of dancing on the opposing team's logo at midfield and sharing the video on TikTok:

The fourth-year running back dropped the subtlety as he continued to troll the Steelers star on Instagram Live.

Smith-Schuster is clearly savvy with social media and has built himself a large following. His pregame ritual might be doing more harm than good at this stage, though.

Jordan Poyer and Levi Wallace said they took some motivation from it prior to the Buffalo Bills' 26-15 win over Pittsburgh in Week 14:

Vonn Bell felt the same way based on the hit he laid on Smith-Schuster in the first quarter Monday night:

Pittsburgh's lead on the Cleveland Browns in the AFC North is now only one game. This might be the first division race in NFL history that was swung in some small part because of a dance challenge on TikTok.

Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tyler Boyd won't return to Monday night's game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, according to Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic.  

The 26-year-old suffered a concussion when he hit his head on the turf at the end of the first quarter and was subsequently ruled out.

Boyd missed his lone target from quarterback Ryan Finley before he exited the game, but he led Bengals receivers in the category for the season entering Monday (106). 

Boyd, who was taken by the Bengals out of Pittsburgh in the second round of the 2016 draft, recorded consecutive 1,000-yard seasons over the last two years and entered Monday on pace to do so again. He had recorded 78 receptions for 840 yards and four touchdowns through 13 games for the 2-10-1 Bengals.

He had a great year in 2019, posting 1,046 yards and five touchdowns on 90 receptions a season after tallying a career-best seven touchdowns on 76 receptions (1,028 yards) in his first campaign as a starter. He has started all but six games for Cincinnati over the last three seasons.

Rookie Tee Higgins, who was drafted at No. 33 out of Clemson this year, took over the bulk of the receiving duties for the Bengals on Monday with three receptions for 31 yards by the middle of the third quarter. A.J. Green added a 30-yard reception, and running back Giovani Bernard also grabbed a 14-yard touchdown pass.

Higgins is the obvious target to lead the receiving corps in Boyd's absence. The 21-year-old ranks second on the team in receiving, entering Monday with 778 yards and a team-best five touchdowns on 58 catches. 

Even when you're a member of the team, watching the Cincinnati Bengals doesn't make for a pleasurable experience.

Bengals rookie Joe Burrow reflected on his inability to help Cincinnati during Monday night's game against the Pittsburgh Steelers:

Unfortunately for Burrow, it's going to be a while before he's back on the field again. 

He suffered a torn ACL and MCL in his left knee along with other structural damage in a Week 11 loss to the Washington Football Team. In addition to missing the remainder of 2020, the 2019 Heisman Trophy winner might be unavailable when the 2021 season kicks off.

A win over the Steelers would at least give Burrow something to celebrate.

Chad Johnson has a job for you.

"Everyone that plays Madden, be sure to do your due diligence on participating in the Video Game Numbers Challenge," the former Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver told Bleacher Report. "We're putting everything in your hands, which normally doesn't happen. They say it's in the fans' hands, but this time it actually is. ... It's all up to you."

Johnson is helping Madden NFL 21 promote the Video Game Numbers Challenge, which gives football fans and gamers the opportunity to decide the final two spots on this season's virtual Pro Bowl rosters.

On Monday, the NFL announced the AFC and NFC All-Stars for the 2021 Pro Bowl. It also revealed the 32 eligible players for the final two roster spots through the Video Game Numbers Challenge.

Fans can determine who among a list that includes Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster, Cleveland Browns wide receiver Jarvis Landry, Washington Football Team wide receiver Terry McLaurin, Chicago Bears wide receiver Allen Robinson II and Kansas City Chiefs running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire will earn the one AFC and one NFC spot up for grabs on the virtual Pro Bowl rosters by playing Madden NFL 21.

Every touchdown the 32 players score in the video game from Dec. 22, 2020, through Jan. 3, 2021, will count as a vote, and the two players who score the most during that timespan will be announced on Jan. 4 and added to the Madden Pro Bowl rosters.

Johnson hyped up Landry and Smith-Schuster as two players fans can push for selection but said everyone is lucky he isn't eligible.

"I think it would be very unfair being that I'm the best Madden player in the world for me to actually be involved," he said. "I just don't think it would be fair. I'm the best in the world at the game. It's better for others to have them compete and play because if I did it then I would actually be attending the Pro Bowl—even though I'm not able to be chosen—just based off what I can do on the sticks."

Gamers may not be able to match Johnson's Madden skills, but they can participate in the Video Game Numbers Challenge through online head-to-head matchups on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S.

It is part of an overall virtual theme for this season's Pro Bowl, which will feature players, celebrities and NFL legends playing with the rosters on Madden NFL 21 instead of the traditional game.

Fans will be in complete control of the Video Game Numbers Challenge results, although their votes for the actual Pro Bowl rosters counted as one-third of the determining factor with players and coaches also voting.

Johnson was selected to six Pro Bowls during an illustrious career that saw him play for the Bengals and New England Patriots.

He was in Cincinnati from 2001-10 and finished his time in the Queen City with 751 catches for 10,783 yards and 66 touchdowns. The two-time All-Pro is unquestionably one of the best players in franchise history and finished with more than 1,000 receiving yards in seven of his 10 years with the team.

However, A.J. Green is just one touchdown catch away from tying his all-time Bengals record of 66 touchdown receptions.

"I think it's extremely dope," Johnson said when asked for his thoughts about Green eventually eclipsing him in the franchise record book. "I'd be very happy for him. Records are made to be broken. I think that's a huge monument for him. It says a lot about the work he's put in, the dedication, the time, the sweat and what he's done for that city. I'd be the first to applaud him."

Green will have a chance to tie the record Monday against the rival Pittsburgh Steelers, but Johnson doesn't want him to stop at just one touchdown.

"Not tying, I want him to break it," he said. "Leave your mark, leave your stamp on the city as one of the best to ever come through, if not the best receiver, to come through there."

Green's future with the Bengals is uncertain, but the franchise is better off than its 2-10-1 record and fifth consecutive losing season indicates because it has a long-term quarterback in place in Joe Burrow.

The rookie signal-caller suffered a torn ACL and MCL in his left knee during a Week 11 loss to Washington, and Johnson believes solidifying the offensive line and keeping Burrow healthy in the future is priority No. 1 for his former team.

"They have work to do," he said. "Every team has work to do. But as far as the Bengals are concerned, obviously the front line being able to keep Joe Burrow upright. ... When he's not having to run for his life, he's been able to make every throw. He's been extremely efficient. He's looked great as a rookie doing the same thing we saw at LSU."

Cincinnati has plenty of work to do up front and across the roster to become a Super Bowl contender, but Johnson believes the Lombardi Trophy is at least staying in the AFC.

"What they have offensively, they just have to play okay defense," Johnson said while revealing the Chiefs are his pick to win the Super Bowl for the second straight year. "The problem is finding a way to stop them, and I haven't seen anybody do that except the [Las Vegas] Raiders as a divisional opponent. They had somewhat of the formula but nobody else has been able to do it. ... The way the Chiefs are playing, I don't see anyone stopping them."

While Chiefs fans wait to see if their team lives up to Johnson's expectations and defends the throne, they can help Edwards-Helaire clinch a spot on the Pro Bowl roster by finding the end zone with him in Madden for the Video Game Numbers Challenge.