Ex-Titans OT Taylor Lewan blames Zac Taylor instead of Joe Burrow for Bengals’ poor show amid injury woes

Joe Burrow suffered a calf injury during training camp this season.

Ex-Titans OT Taylor Lewan blames Zac Taylor instead of Joe Burrow for Bengals’ poor show amid injury woes

Zac Taylor (L - via Imago) and Taylor Lewan (R - via X)

The Cincinnati Bengals were expected to be in the Super Bowl this season after a couple of AFC Championship appearances in 2021 and 2022. Then Joe Burrow went down with a calf injury at the beginning of training camp, and everything’s gone downhill from there. They have started the season 1-3 through four weeks, with Burrow playing on one leg. The offense is a mess, as the Bengals have only scored 49 points so far.

The decision to play an injured Burrow has backfired significantly, with the team not being able to score touchdowns on a regular basis. Former Tennessee Titans offensive lineman Taylor Lewan thinks the blame lies with head coach Zac Taylor and his play-calling. He feels that if Burrow is not fully fit, the team should focus on running the football, as RB Joe Mixon is one of the best at his position in the NFL.

YouTube video

“I think it’s the play-calling,” Lewan recently told analyst Kay Adams during an interview. “If you watch the Titans game, they ran the ball effectively, and they could have done that the entire game if they wanted to… If Joe’s not 100 percent, take it out of his hands.”

FS Video

Burrow, one of the best QBs in the league, has looked like a shell of himself to begin the season. The Bengals’ only hope for a playoff birth this season might include benching Burrow for the upcoming games and letting him nurse his calf back to 100 percent.

The Bengals will play the Arizona Cardinals in their next game. The Cardinals came into the season with arguably the worst roster in the entire league. The Bengals will be expected to beat the Cardinals with or without Burrow. It will be a massive test for Taylor and the Bengals, as they will be favored to win big against the Arizona-based team.

Related:WATCH: “I got the real GOAT,” Drake brings out Tom Brady on stage at his Miami concert, dubs him as the ‘real GOAT’

Joe Burrow will play against the Cardinals according to Zac Taylor

The Cincinnati Bengals will play the Arizona Cardinals in their next game on Sunday. Bengals’ QB Joe Burrow has been nursing a calf injury since the beginning of training camp this year. He has played in all the games so far for the Bengals and hasn’t looked great at all. There were calls for him to sit out against the Cardinals next week, but head coach Zac Taylor confirmed that he will play against the Cardinals.

Zac Taylor (L) and Joe Burrow (R)
Zac Taylor (L – via Cincinnati Bengals) and Joe Burrow (R – via Sports Illustrated)

“It is what it is. I think every week is going to continue to improve that way. We’ve got to be better at the things we can control,” Taylor said in a press conference on Monday. He also said that the team will play according to Burrow’s capabilities right now, and that it is “on me as a play caller to find ways to get this team to the end zone earlier in the game.”

Burrow has completed 57.6 percent of his passes so far for 728 yards, with two touchdowns and two interceptions. He has been one of the worst QBs this season thanks to his injured calf. The Bengals will hope to get a 100% fully fit Burrow as soon as possible, or else they might not make the postseason this year.

In case you missed it: