Bass: Can Bengals, Joe Burrow recover? What are you supposed to do?

Feeling blindsided at 0-2 was so last year. Been there, undid that, returned to the AFC title game.

“Feels familiar to the beginning of last season,” @JNJournalist wrote on X (ex-Twitter). “We’ll come back. I’m not worried about the loss. I’m more concerned about Burrow’s limping off the field.”

Which is why 0-2 Bengals 2.0 felt different.

“A lot different,” @FanaticCincy posted. “Last year Joe was getting healthier. This year he’s not.”

Maybe this felt worse than last season, and not simply because this 0-2 is fresher.

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“Way worse,” @adkinlk83 posted, “for the fact that Burrow is nursing an injury rather than recovering from surgery.”

“Way worse,” @bearcatmark1 posted, “because of Burrow's health questions.”

“Way worse,” @Brow15045912Dan posted. “Burrow is injured.”

You get the idea.

And the fear.

Not surprisingly, Joe Burrow came up a lot Monday in our day-after-game social-media session comparing how the 0-2s felt. You had no idea how a calf tweak would affect Burrow. Call him Schrodinger’s quarterback. You had no idea if the Bengals’ season was dead, alive or ... what?

The Bengals can reach a Super Bowl with Burrow at his best. Without Burrow, the Bengals were lost for decades.

With Burrow at less than his best – after he was sidelined in the preseason again – the Bengals started 0-2 again. See a connection? He did. “Well, when your quarterback misses camp, it’s tough to start fast,” he told reporters after the loss Sunday. “It’s not an ideal situation.”

Not for you, either. Uncertainty breeds anxiety. You feel powerless. You care about Burrow, you care about the Bengals, you envisioned another crack at the Super Bowl, but this is what you have, and you didn’t prepare for this.

Why not prepare now?

What if that will help you deal with the stress?

You can call a timeout and devise a safety net, an in-case-of-fire-break-this-out gameplan, a personal reassurance policy. If the news about Burrow is bad, even end-of-season bad, how would you handle it? What has worked for you in the past?

Would you lower expectations? Would you let yourself grieve? Would you remember to breathe? Would you embrace Jake Browning? Would you be curious how Zac Taylor and the Bengals step up behind the backup? Would you prioritize Burrow’s health over a football game? Would you love the Bengals for who they are? Would you stop watching? Would you focus more on the Reds? The Bearcats? FC Cincinnati? Basketball? The NFL Draft?

Then let it all go, knowing you’ve got this if needed.

And if that isn’t enough? If you still live in fear that Joey B will not play ... or that he spends weeks playing like a less than average Joe Burrow ... or that he is one awkward landing from being Aaron Rodgers ... or that 0-3 will derail the season? It makes perfect sense. This is all happening fast, but every second you don’t know can feel like years. It's understandable if you are on edge.

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Try this. Step back. Look at the Bengals and Burrow as they are now. Take it one day at a time, one game at a time. What can you reasonably expect Monday night in the Super Bowl LVI rematch/grudge match with the Rams?

Oddsmakers still favored the Bengals against L.A, even if the spread shrank early in the week amid questions about Burrow. Experts touted the Bengals as the best bet of the winless to recover. It seems that respect you demanded might be there, after all. It just is hard to see when you are so absorbed in 0-2. Which is normal.

You don’t just see 0-2, you bleed it. The flaws might seem bigger this year. The games were closer last year. By comparison, this can feel ...

“Worse,” @xHonkiKong posted, “because it’s 0-2 to the division.”

“I'm more annoyed this year,” @RKO_2004 posted. “The offensive playbook/design lacks creativity, variety, and explosiveness. It's like driving a sports car through residential areas and school zones. Blah.”

“Not comparable in my opinion,” @No_Mattic posted. “The Safety and TE rooms are bad. The OL still doesn’t have an identity. Joe Burrow is injured with no clear diagnosis/timeline for return. The AFC is better and their rivals in the AFCN are better. This year is significantly worse than last year.”

It is jarring. It might not seem real. It is. You might look back and wish Zac Taylor had played starters more in the preseason, or the Bengals had a better Plan B for Burrow.

“I wish we had a serviceable back up QB,” @gwaggathoughts posted, “and played him the first two games.”

You have every right to wonder.

But it won’t change today.

Today, experience tells you 0-2 is surmountable. Because of that, Burrow aside, today might feel ...

“Better,” @Ryandosparks posted. “We played two division teams, with a new DC and OC who we didn't have tape on. The OL has been better. We started 0-3 in the division last year.”

“Could be worse,” @AdamChadrick09 posted, “lots of good things yesterday to build on. Defense has to step up, especially in the run game.”

“Pretty much the same,” @ChrisSchloemer posted. “The doomsayers are out again. Sure, I'd love to start out 2-0, but I'd rather peak in the second half of the season than the beginning.”

“I think we’re all just expecting the worst and overreacting,” @rose_bookie posted. “That’s the story I’m sticking with.”

There are a lot of ways to spin this. There are only two undefeated teams in the conference, and maybe that provides hope. A win over the Rams would feel particularly sweet, although any win would at this point.

Would you rather be the 1-1 Jets and know your franchise quarterback is out, or the 0-2 Bengals and not know about yours? Would you rather shut down Burrow, try to eke out a win or two, and let him work his magic when healthy?

“Non Bengals fan here,” @Mr_Proctober posted, “they'll be just fine if that calf gets healthy but those things linger.”

What if it does linger?

This is what you face at 0-2.

For better or worse.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: How can fans handle the uncertainty of Joe Burrow's calf injury?