It was a season opener to forget for the reigning AFC champion Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, falling to their division rivals from Pittsburgh in overtime at home. During that contest, one storyline that emerged was the inconsistency of former No. 1 overall pick Joe Burrow, who threw for 338 yards and two scores, but also had four interceptions in the loss.
Much ado has been made about Burrow’s performance in Week 1, given the third-year QB’s absence during the Bengals’ three preseason contests, with some pondering whether or not that lack of playing time contributed to his erratic play on Sunday.
RELATED: Tracking the Bengals Playoff Chances
It’s worth noting that several of the league’s signal-callers sat out the 2022 NFL preseason, with New York Jets’ QB Zach Wilson’s knee injury serving as a reason for some coaches to abstain from putting their top QB’s in during the exhibition contests.
BetOhio.com broke down Burrow’s Week 1 performance against the rest of the NFL’s starting QBs to see how his outing fared. Ohio betting sites won’t launch until Jan. 1, 2023, but there is a lot of interest in the NFL before it begins.
Ten Offenses Limited in Preseason
Of note, the teams that didn’t play their first-team offenses during the preseason, in addition to the Bengals, were the Super Bowl champion L.A. Rams, as well as the Baltimore Ravens, Denver Broncos, Arizona Cardinals, Green Bay Packers, Dallas Cowboys, Minnesota Vikings, Las Vegas Raiders and L.A. Chargers.
Just three of those teams won their regular-season opening game — the Ravens, Vikings and Chargers. The Vikings’ and Chargers’ wins were against teams that didn’t use their first-team offenses in preseason (the Packers and Raiders).
RELATED: Tracking the Bengals Super Bowl Odds
By comparison, teams that did play their starters in the exhibitions went 12-8-2 in Week 1, while averaging more points (23.0 vs. 16.7), more offensive yards (357.2, vs. 331.6) and first downs (21.4, vs. 19.0) during their openers.
Now that they've seen the numbers, bettors might want to think about using a Tipico Ohio promo to place some educated wagers.
NFL Week 1 Regular-Season Offensive Production After Playing in Preseason Or Not
How Joe Burrow’s Week 1 Stacked Up
Burrow finished 33 of 53 for 338 yards with two TDs and four INTs. Other statistics from some quarterbacks who didn’t play preseason:
- Matthew Stafford of the Rams was 29 of 41 for 240 yards, one TD and three INTS in a 31-10 loss to the Bills.
- The Ravens’ Lamar Jackson was 17 of 30 with three TDs and one INT in a 24-9 win over the Jets. That was one of the three wins for teams that didn’t play their first-team offenses in preseason.
- Aaron Rodgers of the Packers was 22 of 34 for just 195 yards and one INT in a loss to the Vikings.
- The Raiders’ Derek Carr completed 22 of 37 passes for 295 yards, two TDS and three INTs in a loss to the Chargers.
The good news for Burrow is that he gets to play another team that rested its starters (the Dallas Cowboys) in Week 2, and Cowboys starting QB, Dak Prescott, will miss the game with a thumb injury.
It was an opening week to forget for Burrow and the Bengals, but luckily for all involved, there’s still 16 more games to play before the curtain falls on the 2022 NFL regular season and you have to like the Bengals' playoff chances.
