Burrow's Bengals Look to Burst Back onto Super Bowl Scene Against Rookie QB Maye

The Cincinnati Bengals are typically Super Bowl contenders under Joe Burrow, but those expectations were crippled last season with Burrow's calf and wrist injuries derailing another deep playoff run. Despite having a winning record, the Bengals missed the playoffs and didn't have Burrow for seven games. Those Super Bowl expectations for the Bengals are back with Burrow healthy, starting this Sunday against the New England Patriots (1 p.m. ET, CBS). The Patriots are rebuilding their franchise as the organization prepares for its first game without Bill Belichick as coach since 1999. Jerod Mayo takes over for Belichick while No. 3 overall pick Drake Maye will start on the sidelines in favor of Jacoby Brissett. Bengals have gotten off to slow starts the past couple seasons. Do you think that will be the case this year? Davis: "Well, part of the reasons they have gotten off to slow starts is their quarterback being not being healthy coming in. That's not the case this year. We're still waiting to see of Joe Burrow's wrist from last year holds up, but they feel very confident that everything is in good shape. Joe Burrow the last two years had an appendectomy two years ago before the Steelers game. He ended up throwing four interceptions and the Bengals still should have won the game! They lost because their long snapper got hurt, so they couldn't kick a field goal and extra point. Then last year, Burrow was coming in off the calf injury and was limited with practice time. He was weaker than normal and really struggled in the game against Cleveland. This year, things are trending better for Cincinnati because Joe Burrow is fully healthy. That's a whole different ball game than what it's been the last few years."Feels like every year we talk about the Bengals offensive line and the changes they make on the offensive line. Is this the best offensive line Joe Burrow has had?

Davis: "It's a really good one. Potentially can be the best, especially if Amarius Mims (first-round pick) is a full go. He's was trending to be the starting right tackle before his injury. Now Trent Brown, who has been a starter on Super Bowl teams, is gonna start at right tackle for this game. He's a pro and he's a mammoth. Everyone else that you would expect to start is in place and ready to go. That's gonna be interesting to watch and we'll see how that progresses. It wouldn't surprise me at all if Amarius Mims becomes the starter and this becomes the best offensive line Burrow has played behind."What are you seeing out of Jermaine Burton? He's been getting a lot of hype in camp. Davis: "Talent, talent, talent. We've seen it like crazy. I heard a lot of off-field chatter which is why he went in the third round versus going higher than where he was selected. Some of that stuff we heard in the preseason that maybe he's not progressing quite as fast as people would want. But when he's on the field and he's locked in -- he is a dart. He can flash and make big plays. We all know that overused terms, take the top off a defense -- he can do that. But he can also catch any other route you want underneath and turn it into a bigger play. He has to have the trust of the guy throwing him the football. He has to earn that trust. We'll find out Sunday just where that is and where he is in the pecking order on the team. What I'm seeing on the depth chart, I'm not sure he's on that level yet -- but they certainly expect them to get there."I guess now it's unconventional to not start a rookie quarterback in Week 1. Do you think the Patriots are making the right decision with Drake Maye? Davis: "You know it's one of those situations where I go back on it. I understand what the Patriots reasoning is. They have a veteran in Jacoby Brissett that they are hoping because of his eyes and veteran savvy, when he sees different things coming at him he can get them into the proper blocking scheme, the proper play, and things of that nature that maybe a rookie would struggle w

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