Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow is currently sidelined after undergoing an appendectomy last week. The 25-year-old is the reigning Comeback Player of the Year.
NFL Network's Cynthia Frelund expects Burrow to be even better this season. She thinks he's going to lead the league in passing yards with 4,950.
"This number is primarily driven by the Bengals' improved offensive line, which I rank as the ninth-best unit (up from 25th at the end of 2021), along with a very difficult schedule that includes a bevy of potential game scripts with high passing volume," Freund wrote. "According to Next Gen Stats, Burrow was the league's best quarterback under pressure when it came to yards per attempt (9.7) and completion percentage (64.3), and he owned the second-best completion percentage over expected (+8.7) in this area. That said, the third-year signal-caller shouldn't face as much heat in 2022, thus exposing him to fewer hits and more higher-probability passing situations. More time to throw equals more yards on deep passes. And on that front, Burrow and Ja'Marr Chase just led the league with 11 touchdown connections on passes of 10-plus air yards -- the highest single-season total of the Next Gen Stats era (since 2016). Burrow narrowly edges out Patrick Mahomes in this projection. Tom Brady, Derek Carr and Justin Herbert round out the top five. (Note: Given the Chargers' defensive improvements this offseason, Herbert shouldn't need to eclipse 5,000 yards passing again.)"
Burrow threw for a franchise record 4,611 yards in 16 games last season. If he plays in all 17 contests this year, he could realistically surpass the 5,000-yard mark. A revamped offensive line should make life easier on him, Chase, Joe Mixon and the rest of the offense.
Check out Frelund's entire article here. For more on the Bengals, watch the video below and subscribe to our YouTube Channel.
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