NFL Power Rankings, Week 1: Dolphins hurt by trade talk, Bears look foolish

He did almost nothing, but it was still a huge relief to see him on the field. Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow made his debut on Sunday and was 0-for-1 and played just three snaps before heading to the sideline.

What he did wasn’t important though. What was important was the fact that he was on the field and getting some reps in just nine months after tearing his ACL.

Burrow was playing phenomenal football as a rookie for the Bengals during his rookie season but he was having to do far too much on his own. Eventually, that led to him taking a nasty hit that ended his season prematurely.

So if there’s so much excitement about a young quarterback who is the real deal returning, why are the Bengals so low in this 2021 NFL Power Ranking? Well, there are a couple of reasons.

One is the issues they have on the offensive line. They added some players to the roster but we have yet to see if they’re truly upgraded. Also, the jury is still out on Zac Taylor who seemed to get the job because he knew Sean McVay and teams were willing to hire anyone who knew Sean McVay back in 2019.

They have some young talent, but still a whole lot to prove.