Joe Burrow's health a far bigger concern for Bengals than two early losses

The Cincinnati Bengals showed a year ago that they can overcome an 0-2 start and still make a deep run in the AFC playoffs.

So when it comes to the standings, they shouldn't be too concerned after Sunday's 27-24 loss to the Baltimore Ravens.

What should concern them is the health of franchise quarterback Joe Burrow.

Burrow said he aggravated the calf injury that sidelined him for most of training camp and the entire preseason during Sunday's loss and that he will need to "give it a couple of nights" to see where he is at. 

None of that is encouraging for Burrow and the Bengals.

Through the team's first two games, he has not looked like the franchise quarterback who earned the largest contract in NFL history. After throwing for a career-worst 82 yards in a Week 1 loss to the Cleveland Browns, Burrow again struggled on Sunday against the Ravens. Even worse, he just looked like he was limited with the way he was moving.

The confirmation from him after the game that the injury is not only still a problem, but also that he re-aggravated it, is perhaps a sign that this could be a lingering issue. 

The Bengals have an excellent roster that is loaded on offense, especially at wide receiver, but Burrow is the main cog who makes the entire machine run. If he is not available or less than 100 percent, the offense is not going to play at level we have seen the past two years when the Bengals reached a Super Bowl and another AFC Championship Game. 

The Bengals will have a tough game next week on Monday night against the Los Angeles Rams. Burrow will have an extra deal to heal up, but his team now finds itself in a very delicate situation. Having already started 0-2 they are in no position to drop any more games early in the season and cannot really afford to not have Burrow. They also do not want to rush him back on the field if he is still injured and risk having him miss even more time.

Jake Browning is the Bengals' backup quarterback. Will Grier is also a part of the team's practice squad.