Pinnacle +3 +135 BET365 +130 SportsInteraction +130 BetOnline +133 Bookmaker +130

Posted at 10:30 AM EST. 

CINCINNATI +135 over Minnesota

1:00 PM EST. Joe Burrow was drafted first overall in 2019 with the goal of turning the Bengals fortunes around after leading LSU to the College Football Playoff and winning the Heisman Trophy in his final year. His 202 passer rating was the best ever for a college QB at the time and upon graduation, his 2019 season was called the best ever by a college pivot. The Bengals would add high-rated wide receiver Tee Higgins in round two and the foundation for future success was set. Or it was until Week 11 when Burrow was hit while throwing in against Washington and blew out both his ACL and MCL in his left knee while also damaging his PCL and meniscus. In short, dude got blown up, ending his Rookie of the Year campaign, an award that would go to Justin Herbert.

So where does that leave the Bengals in 2021? To a fickle market, Burrows was last seen a long time ago on his back and being carried off the field. All eyes were on him to start last year but there are no eyes on him this year. That provides us with a great opportunity to get a great QB at a reduced rate because he’s out of the spotlight. Prior to his injury, Burrow had begun to grow into his own. He posted 406 passing yards in a Week 7 game against Cleveland while adding three majors and running in another. That was a first for a rookie pivot. During his first eight games, Burrow completed more passes (221) than any other player in NFL history over that time span and now he’s being treated with no respect. Hell, in some fantasy drafts, he was the 15th to 20th QB selected, which is a strong reflection of the market.

Joining Higgins at wide receiver will be veteran Tyler Boyd and top WR prospect Ja' Marr Chase, who the Bengals selected fifth overall in April. The hard-running Joe Mixon is in the backfield and Cincinnati did its best to improve its offensive line by signing Riley Reiff at right tackle and drafting Jackson Carman in round two. Carmon comes in after three years as a starter at Clemson and he has the size and strength to be a quality guard in this league right away. If he's as good as advertised, a move to tackle down the road is not out of the question.

What is there to write about the Kirk Cousins experiment in Minnesota? That the Vikings’ best season over the past five years or so came when Case Keenum was the quarterback? That certainly sums it up well. The Vikes have blown over $100-million in guaranteed money and have fuck all to show for it. How confident Minnesota is in Cousins as their long-term option at quarterback may have been confirmed when the Vikings took Kellen Mond in the third round of April's draft. We won't get into Mond too much here, as we have little doubt he'll be the starter soon enough. He was great at Texas A&M and finished with over 9000 career SEC passing yards and 1500 running yards. That puts him in elite territory with Dak Prescott and Tim Tebow. As to which of those to pivots dude profiles as; it's the former. Mond is QB2 in Week 1. The heat is now on Cousins and how he responds to the pressure will be interesting but if we are to take his history into account, dude cannot be trusted under any pressure. Having the job all to himself didn't really work out very well. How long the leash is for Cousins to trip himself up is unknown, but he's making big money that is fully guaranteed into at least next season. If it goes south early for Cousins, the Vikings could be a prime fade target until they pull the trigger and make the switch.

Had Burrows finished the year and won the Rookie of The Year while helping the Bengals to finish strong, this number would look different. As it stands now, it’s an inflated price because the market is ignoring or forgetting just how great Burrows is. He’s not only great, he’s focused, determined and comes in with a big chip on his shoulder too. Wrong side is favored here.

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