Can the Rams rebound in Cincinnati Monday Night? Joe Burrow injury may be a factor

The Los Angeles Rams head to Paycor Stadium to take on the Cincinnati Bengals in a Monday night showdown in Week 3. This will be the first regular season meeting between the two teams since their Super Bowl matchup, where LA was able to get the victory and their second championship in franchise history.

The Bengals are currently viewed as a 2-point favorites over the Rams, according to DraftKings Sportsbook. We have been using Tallysight to get our picks in each week, so sign up at Tallysight for submitting your own bets.

The biggest factor in this game is the availability of Bengals QB Joe Burrow. After initially hurting his calf in training camp, Burrow reinjured it again in the 4th quarter of a 27-24 loss to divisional rivals, the Baltimore Ravens. Bengals head coach Zac Taylor had no update on his QB’s status and would not commit to Burrow being available. Burrow is currently listed as questionable for Monday’s game and considered a game-time decision.

If Burrow is not available, Los Angeles would face Jake Browning, who has never started an NFL game through his first four years in the league and only has four regular season pass attempts.

Even if Burrow is available, he hasn’t been great this season, completing 56.9% of his passes for 304 yards, two TDs and an interception. The Bengals defense also allowed 206 yards rushing against the Browns and 178 yards vs the Ravens, as well as letting up 765 yards in a total offense through two games.

That is not great news for a team about to face the Rams number two ranked offense. Matthew Stafford has gone over 300 yards passing in his first two games, while running back Kyren Williams leads in the NFL in touchdowns from scrimmage with three rushing and one receiving.

The Rams may be coming off their own divisional loss to the 49ers, where the defense struggled against the outside run, however I really like LA in this one, to both cover the spread and get the win in Cincinnati. Even with the potential explosiveness of LA’s offense, if Bengals have to start Browning instead of Burrow this week, I am leaning towards taking the under in this one too.