Some would say that Joe Burrow has often been shielded from criticism, but for some NFL fans, former Super Bowl winner James Jones' comments this morning on FS1's new show, The Facility, were much needed. The Cincinnati Bengals were defeated by the New England Patriots this past Sunday, 16-10. The Bengals were left scoreless throughout the first half against a New England team with a surging defense -- a team the Bengals arguably should have beaten.
Some Bengals fans have pointed to the ongoing contract negotiations of Ja'Marr Chase as a reason for the team's slow start. Often, Chase, Tee Higgins, and the receiving corps have been blamed for the team's struggles when they lose. However, Super Bowl champion James Jones questioned when the blame would be directed at quarterback Joe Burrow.
On The Facility, the topic of whether Bengals fans should be worried came up, and Jones believes they should be, calling Burrow's performance "average" over the past two years.
"They should be worried. I think it's time we start keeping it real with Joe Burrow," Jones told his co-hosts this morning. "If Lamar Jackson throws that ball and his toe ain't out, it's a lot of ifs. If Jalen Hurts looks down the middle of the field and reaches over two and doesn't throw it and it ain't picked, it's a lot of ifs. But them dudes take a lot of heat. Joe Burrow has not been good, man, for the last two years, and starting off this season, he ain't been good. He was five and five last year and then went out with an injury, all right? Then they went four and three without Joe Burrow. Joe Burrow without top elite wide receivers is average."
Co-host Emmanuel Acho couldn't believe Jones's statement, but Jones doubled down to solidify his point.
"He is (average), but we keep -- no, for real though -- we keep living on the Super Bowl appearance. But we don't live on other stuff from quarterbacks. Joe Burrow's not playing good football right now. He ain't, right? And we keep putting him up there saying he's better than Josh Allen. He's the number two quarterback in football. A lot of people say it."
Burrow has the talent around him, but if he cannot get this Bengals team back into the playoffs this year, fans may start to question if Jones's theory is really that far off. It seems the Bengals should lock down wide receiver Chase sooner rather than later as a safety valve if Burrow continues trending in this direction.
The Bengals face off against the Washington Commanders at home next -- a potential bounce-back game before heading to Carolina to take on the Panthers. If they lose either of those two games, there could be cause for panic for the AFC North's darling team of the past few years. Check out Jones's comments on FS1's The Facility this morning.