They’re getting a bit antsy in Cincinnati, where the Bengals haven’t made the playoffs since 2022 and a return to the Super Bowl for Joe Burrow, which once seemed inevitable after he reached the finale vs. the Rams in his second year in the league, is now starting to draw comparisons to Dan Marino, who never got back to the Super Bowl after also making it in his second year with the Dolphins. Of course, Burrow staying in one piece for an entire season would be a nice start after he’s missed large chunks in three of his six campaigns in the league, with last year’s eight games the fewest in his career. Indeed, Joe’s presence means almost everything to the Bengals, who were 1-8 without him a year ago, and why lingering questions along the OL, which has allowed Burrow to get sacked 213 times in his career (the fourth most in the league since 2020) and has the worst pass-block rate in the league across that span, remain an obvious red flag. For the moment, Burrow is upright, however, and Zac Taylor is looking forward to a rebuilt defensive line wreaking havoc with foes on the Bengals’ schedule now that wrecking machine DT Dexter Lawrence II has arrived from the Giants along with other disruptors on the defensive front. Yet keep in mind that Cincinnati has been a notorious slow starter in recent years, failing to cover in its last four openers. Injuries also figured in the Bucs' demise a year ago and failure to defend the NFC South crown they had won the previous four seasons, and Todd Bowles is crossing his fingers that some of the walking wounded from the summer like wideouts Emeka Egbuka and Jalen McMillan (the presence of both more important now that Mike Evans has moved to the 49ers) will be ready to go for the opener. The clever Baker Mayfield also looks a proper elixir to Cincinnati’s supposedly juiced-up pass rush, and Bowles’ own new adds in the defensive front seven could expose the main Bengals question mark--protecting Burrow. Moreover, any points from the oddsmakers are always worth considering with the low-variance Bucs, after their last six games a season ago were all decided by four points or fewer. Play Tampa Bay Bucs