The Bengals think they're playing fantasy football, and Joe Burrow keeps paying the price

"It sounds obvious, you don't build an actual NFL roster like it's a fantasy football team. It's not enough to pack your squad with flashy weapons and hope you dazzle your way to the Super Bowl. You have to focus on more and different dimensions roster depth, how players fit into coaching schemes, how they work together, and how even the unsexy positions are addressed at a high level."

"And yet that is generally not how the Cincinnati Bengals have built their teams over the years. And once again, they're paying for it in the worst possible way with an injury to their star quarterback, Joe Burrow, that will severely affect their season. In the Bengals' 31-27 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday, Burrow suffered a turf toe injury as he was being sacked by defensive lineman Arik Armstead; it's estimated that Burrow will be out at least three months."

"It's the third time in six seasons that Burrow's underwhelming offensive line the line that is supposed to protect him from this sort of stuff has helped shorten his season. Most franchises value quarterback protection to an extreme degree, particularly when you have a player like Burrow, one of the best players in the entire NFL. The ones that don't suffer by way of sub-par quarterback play, and eventual quarterback injury."

Roster construction requires attention to depth, scheme fit, player cohesion, and unglamorous positions rather than only flashy weapons. The Cincinnati Bengals prioritized weapons over protection, contributing to a turf-toe injury to quarterback Joe Burrow after a sack by Arik Armstead that may sideline him at least three months. Burrow has had seasons shortened three times in six years partly because of an underwhelming offensive line. Cincinnati added interior linemen Lucas Patrick and Dalton Risner, but Patrick has barely played and Risner allowed a sack and four pressures in 75 pass-blocking snaps; draftee Dylan Fairchild allowed four pressures in 81 snaps. Tackle spots are handled by Orlando Brown Jr and Amarius Mims.

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