Joe Burrow has been one of the top quarterbacks in the NFL since being drafted with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. However, while the superstar quarterback has been dominant when on the field, he has taken many hits and missed significant time due to injury throughout his career.
The Cincinnati Bengals played in their first Preseason game on Thursday, and one former linebacker is concerned for Burrow, as things seemed to pick up where they left off on the offensive line.
Emmanuel Acho Concerned by Bengals’ Offensive Line Play in Week 1 of Preseason
The Bengals have become accustomed to starting slow early in the season. So, Zac Taylor and the coaching staff decided that Burrow and the starters would get some game action in the first Preseason game to help them shake off some rust and get acclimated before Week 1.
Burrow and the starters played only two series, but during those two series, Burrow was sacked once and hurried on a pass he was forced to throw away. While two instances of the offensive line not holding up may not seem like much, there is more to it than that.
“Wait they’re playing the backups,” Emmanuel Acho said of the Bengals offense in their first preseason game this season. “Hell yeah, I’m concerned.”
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Not only were the Bengals playing their starters and the Lions playing backups, but the Bengals also dropped back to pass only six times.
Cincinnati ranked No. 22 in PFN’s Offensive Line Impact metric in 2025. This was nothing new either, as Burrow has been sacked 213 times since 2020, with only Justin Herbert, Russell Wilson, and Baker Mayfield ranking ahead of him. Seeing Burrow pressured twice in seven passing attempts evokes déjà vu for Bengals fans and leaves Acho uneasy.
It’s a small sample size, and the team could just be kicking off some rust, as Acho mentioned, but given the context of the game, this is alarming. The Bengals will have the rest of Training Camp and the Preseason to try and sort this issue out.
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“Of course, I’m worried,” Acho added. “I’m not going to believe the Bengals’ lie. What they say about a Tiger and their stripes? You can’t change them.
“I’m not going to believe the Bengals’ lie. Joe Burrow is an incredible, incredible, incredible talent. Bengals haven’t made the playoffs, if I’m not mistaken, three years in a row. I’m also not going to believe this lie of this Bengals’ defense being turned around and turned over. No, the Bengals are the Bengals until proven otherwise. Joe Burrow is him. Ja’Marr Chase is him. Tee Higgins is him. Everyone else is not.”
Burrow did look sharp, despite doing nothing spectacular, in the remainder of his brief game action. The three-time Pro Bowler completed five of his six pass attempts for 39 yards before ceding the offense over to Joe Flacco.
If they can keep Burrow upright and healthy, Cincinnati could present significant problems for opposing defenses, given the combination of Burrow’s talent and his plethora of weapons at his disposal in Chase, Higgins, Chase Brown, and Mike Gesicki.
They remain an intriguing team to watch this season, as they look to return to the Postseason and make a deep playoff run.
