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Posted on: July 27, 2023, 05:08h.
Last updated on: July 27, 2023, 05:17h.
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow needed assistance off the practice field when he sustained a noncontact injury during training camp.
The Bengals have high expectations this season and want to return to the Super Bowl. They won the AFC Championship in the 2021 season and punched their ticket to Super Bowl LVI. The Bengals lost to the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl, bringing their magical season to an abrupt halt.
Last season, the Bengals won 12 games and secured the #3 seed in the AFC. They defeated the Baltimore Ravens and Buffalo Bills in the first two rounds of the playoffs and returned to the AFC Championship for the second consecutive season.
The Kansas City Chiefs edged out the Bengals, 23-20, during a heartbreaking loss in the 2022 AFC Championship. The Chiefs would go on to defeat the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LVII.
Bengals Get Lucky, Burrow Only Suffers a Calf Injury
Everyone went silent on the field when Burrow hobbled to the sideline in obvious pain at Kettering Health Practice Fields in Cincinnati. While running an 11×11 offensive drill, Burrow scrambled and began hopping on one leg due to an injury on his lower right leg.
The Bengals breathed a collective sigh of relief when they learned that Burrow didn’t suffer a serious injury like a blown-out Achilles or another torn ACL. He sustained a strained right calf, which will most likely sideline him for the remainder of training camp and preseason.
Burrow missed time during last season’s training camp due to a ruptured appendix. He underwent surgery and quickly recovered.
This time last year I was sitting in a hospital bed,” Burrow told reporters on Wednesday. “It’s good to be out there with the guys. Excited about where we’re at.”
Burrow enters his fourth season as a pro. He tore his ACL during his rookie season. He bounced back in his second season and led the Bengals to the Super Bowl.
Burrow had his best season as a pro in 2022. In 16 games, he completed 68.3% of his passes with 414 completions for 4,475 yards. He threw 35 touchdowns and was only picked off 12 times. He also added 257 rushing yards and five rushing touchdowns.
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Burrow a Top MVP Contender
Patrick Mahomes from the Kansas City Chiefs is the current betting favorite to win the NFL MVP at +700 odds, but Burrow isn’t far behind at +750 odds.
Mahomes won the MVP last season, and he’s attempting to win back-to-back awards and his third overall.
Quarterbacks occupy the top eight places on DraftKings’ awards board in the MVP race. Josh Allen from the Buffalo Bills is +800 odds, followed by Justin Herbert from the Los Angeles Chargers (+1100), Jalen Hurts from the Philadelphia Eagles (+1100), Trevor Lawrence from the Jacksonville Jaguars (+1500), Lamar Jackson from the Baltimore Ravens (+1500), and Aaron Rodgers from the New York Jets.
Rodgers won the MVP four times since 2011 with the Green Bay Packers. He won the MVP in back-to-back seasons in 2020 and 2021. The Jets hired Nathaniel Hackett as their offense coordinator despite him getting fired after a disastrous season as the head coach of the Denver Broncos in 2022. Hackett was the Packers’ offensive coordinator during Rodgers’ consecutive MVP seasons in 2020 and 2021.
Jackson earned MVP honors in 2019 after which the Ravens and Jackson agreed on a contract extension. When negotiations sputtered, Jackson requested a trade, but the two parties finally worked out a new deal worth $260 million over five seasons.
Futures Market Watch: No Changes for the Bengals
The Bengals went 12-4 last season and have a projected win total of 10.5 over/under for this upcoming season.
The Bengals are a slight favorite to win the AFC North at +180 odds. They’re ahead of the Baltimore Ravens (+200), Cleveland Browns (+350), and Pittsburgh Steelers (+425) in the highly competitive and ultra-physical “smashmouth football” division.
The Bengals are +1100 odds to win Super Bowl LVIII. They are currently fifth overall on DraftKings’ NFL futures board. After the 2023 NFL Draft, the Bengals were still fifth overall, but they were +850 odds and slipped a bit to +1100.
The Kansas City Chiefs are the consensus favorite to win back-to-back Super Bowls at +600 odds. The Philadelphia Eagles (+650), Buffalo Bills (+900), and San Francisco 49ers (+1000) are the only other teams with shorter Super Bowl odds than the Bengals.
The Bengals won the AFC Championship two seasons ago, and they’re +600 odds to win another conference crown and return to the Super Bowl. They’re third overall on the futures board among the AFC heavyweights. The Chiefs are +300 odds to repeat as AFC champs. The Buffalo Bills are +450 odds to secure their first conference title since 1993.
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