Bengals News (9/7): Joe Burrow’s Superpower

For Openers, Joe Burrow Vows, "I'm Going To Play My Game'
"He looks ready. His body looks great. I think he's more than ready," Brown said after Wednesday's practice. "At the end of the day, it's all about muscle memory. That's the majority of football. He's a great quarterback who does a great job presnap, getting the ball out during the snap, and figuring out who he wants to get the ball to right away. It's not a concern."

More Quick Hits: The Fastest of Zac's Fastest Bengals Team; New Mantra For Defense; Major League Moment For Chidobe Awuzie
Cincinnati Bengals head strength and conditioning coach Joey Boese is not only in the brigade of personnel that has helped quarterback Joe Burrow and his strained calf get to the threshold of Sunday's opener (1 p.m.-Cincinnati's Local 12) vs. the Cleveland Browns, but he's also trained the fastest Bengals team maybe ever that is anchored by the blinding 22-plus miles per hour of cornerback Chidobe Awuzie and wide receiver Tee Higgins.

Quick Hits: Joe Burrow Expects To Go In Opener; 'This Is Where I Want To Be'; Ossai Only Bengal To Sit Out Practice
"I'm in a really good spot throwing wise. I'm spinning it as good as I ever have. It's jumping off my hand as good as it ever has before," Burrow said. "You work on little things here and there that are going to find you that extra mile per hour or that extra rpm that helps you put it in a smaller window. So you work on those things every year, and it's just another year of that. So I'm in a great spot."

Cincinnati Bengals at Cleveland Browns: Game predictions, picks, odds
For Cincinnati, the dynamic Joe Burrow and Ja'Marr Chase return. Burrow threw for 4,475 yards and a career-high 35 touchdowns last season while his receiver had 1,046 receiving yards and nine touchdowns. Burrow suffered a calf injury in training camp, but was back practicing last week.

Why Cincinnati Bengals Coach Zac Taylor Never Thinks About His Losing Streak at Cleveland - Ever
But Taylor’s record in games played in Cleveland is tied for the worst. Another loss Sunday would make him the only Bengals coach in franchise history to not only start his career with five straight road losses to the Browns, but it would make him the first to have a five-game losing streak against the in-state rivals at any point during his career.

Bengals' Trayveon Williams: In clear for Week 1
Williams missed a few weeks of practice and preseason action after spraining his ankle Aug. 1. He's now ready to play in Sunday's game in Cleveland, though even as part of a shaky Cincinnati backfield he'll probably be a healthy inactive or restricted to special teams rather than handling a significant role on offense. Chris Evans and Chase Brown both are more likely to get playing time off the bench behind Joe Mixon.

Look: Cincinnati Bengals Reveal Uniform Combo For Week 1 Showdown With Cleveland Browns
Cincinnati will wear white jerseys, white pants and black socks. The Bengals are hoping to win in Cleveland for the first time since 2017. They're 8-2 in this uniform, including a comeback win over the Saints in New Orleans last season.

Contract Update: Cincinnati Bengals Optimism Hasn't Wavered as Talks With Joe Burrow's Agent Continue
Over the past six weeks, the 26-year-old has kept his focus on football and rehabbing his strained right calf. He's practicing in full this week and is ready to play on Sunday, sources tell All Bengals.

Bengals QB Joe Burrow sees the field better than anyone in the NFL
CINCINNATI — Brandon Allen joined the Cincinnati Bengals as a backup quarterback before the 2020 season, at the same time the franchise drafted Joe Burrow with the first pick. Allen had shared meeting rooms with about a dozen quarterbacks over four NFL seasons, and he’d had hundreds, if not thousands, of conversations about how to read a defense. How would they study the shifting alignment at the line? Which defender would they look at right before the snap? What did they do to get to the backside progression before a 280-pound man slammed into their ribs and ruined an entire city’s Sunday?

Around the league

Niners edge Nick Bosa agrees to terms on record 5-year, $170M extension
The reigning AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year has agreed to a five-year, $170 million extension with the 49ers, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported on Wednesday. Rapoport added that the contract includes $122.5 million in guarantees and San Francisco will waive all fines Bosa incurred during his holdout.

NFL QB Index, Week 1: 2023 season begins with Patrick Mahomes, Jalen Hurts on top
He might not yet be as good as Mahomes, but he's damn close. Burrow proved 2021 wasn't a fluke, nearly matching his stats in his first season as a defending AFC champion. His Bengals fell short in the playoffs, but they're primed to give it another go with Burrow (and his healing calf) leading the way. It seems like only a matter of time before he's locked up as Cincinnati's well-paid franchise quarterback, setting up for more showdowns with Mahomes -- and perhaps others eager to become AFC disruptors.

Nine last-minute predictions for 2023 NFL season: Josh Allen wins MVP, 49ers win Super Bowl LVIII
After an entertaining Labor Day weekend on the college gridiron, it's Week 1 of the 2023 NFL season. I'm beaming! I'm a font of positivity! Thus, as I look to provide my final takes before the pro action kicks off with Lions-Chiefs on Thursday night, I'm in no mood to play the role of Debbie Downer today.

2023 NFL Offensive Player Rankings, Week 1: Patrick Mahomes No. 1; four teams land two players
I’m not going to let a calf strain knock Joe Burrow out of the top five. He’s done so much -- and then some -- for the Bengals, breaking franchise passing records and taking them to back-to-back AFC title games. He’s trending toward starting in the season opener against the Browns, a positive development for Burrow’s MVP quest.