By Jordan Long
The Cincinnati Bengals are preparing to take on the New York Giants this Sunday. The Bengals are looking to improve on their 2-7-1 record. They will have a new starting quarterback, Brandon Allen.
Cincinnati started the season with Joe Burrow who was the #1 overall pick in this years’ NFL Draft. The Bengals’ record doesn’t show how effective Burrow was this year. He passed for 2,688 yards and 13 touchdowns. He was learning to read NFL defenses and wasn’t forcing things downfield for rookie mistakes with only 5 interceptions.
The only problem with his game was holding onto the football too long. Teams put pressure on him and often hit Burrow for sacks or interceptions. Burrow ended up with 32 sacks and 5 fumbles, far too many. It wasn’t all his fault since his line didn’t protect him.
Burrow is now out for the year after taking a hit against Washington. At the time the Bengals were leading 9-7 with 11:35 left in the 3rd quarter. Burrow was hit low when he was attempting to throw a pass downfield by a defender as his offensive lineman was blocking him. The offensive lineman ended up blocking the defender into Burrow. He didn’t get up and had to be carted off. Burrow ended up with an ACL and MCL tear ending his rookie season. The injury could derail his Rookie of The year bid.
Cincinnati finished the game with quarterback Ryan Finley who played poorly. Finley ended the game with 3 of 10 passing for 30 yards and 1 interception. Cincinnati lost the game 20-9.
This week Cincinnati had a choice to make on who would be the starter under center this week. The only other quarterback on the roster is Brandon Allen, who was on the practice squad. According to ESPN, Head Coach Zac Taylor said, “ Whether he’s on the active roster or the practice squad doesn’t really matter. He’s still in the room doing that kind of stuff.”
The Bengals decided Allen will start. Allen was the starting quarterback for the Denver Broncos for 3 games last year. In those games, Denver went 1-2. He wasn’t effective with 515 passing yards, 3 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions.
Cincinnati is hoping Allen can move the ball this weekend. It is possible if they struggle and Allen plays poorly, Finley could replace him in the game or even next weekend. If Allen performs well, even in a loss, he could be the starter for the rest of the season. This is Allen’s shot again to show he can still play in the league.
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