The Key for the week of September 15, 2025
Joe Burrow=Andrew Luck
Ben thought it, but our good friend Lance McAlister said it and NFL Live on ESPN researched it: When do we reach the tipping point when Joe Burrow is tired of getting beaten up? Andrew Luck, you remember, was Peyton Manning’s heir to the Colts’ offense until he got tired of getting injured because of a bad offensive line. Breaking it down: Luck played six seasons with 828 quarterback contacts which works out to 21% contact percentage, 174 sacks and 28% pressure. Burrow, in the same sixth season, has 634 QB contacts with a 20% contact percentage, sacked more times (201) with a pressure percentage of 27% for his career.
Luck’s injuries included a kidney laceration and torn cartilage, while Burrow has had a knee tear, torn wrist ligament, calf strain and turf toe. Luck said enough was enough at age 29 and retired. When will Burrow say enough is enough and walk away from an offensive line that can’t protect him? And are the Bengals ready for the backlast when the front office will be blamed for wasting a generational talent like Burrow?
Battle of the backups
All of which leads us to Sunday’s matchup between the Bengals and Vikings that will be Jake Browning against Carson Wentz, because the Vikings’ anointed quarterback, JJ McCarthy, is out 2-4 weeks with a sprained ankle. Wentz, of course, is a veteran NFL quarterback, but the oddsmakers have dropped the Vikings from a 4.5 point favorite down to three. It’s not a matchup fans want to see, and neither does the NFL, who depends on its stars for ticket sales and TV viewership. Keeping the quarterback healthy is job number one, not just for the Bengals but for everyone else.
They’re not dead yet…
Although the Reds certainly tried to give the last wild card spot away with a sweep at the hands of the A’s, who are next to last and below .500 in the AL West. After a team meeting, the Reds are mounting one last push to catch the Mets and climb past the Diamondbacks, who started the week a half game ahead of the Reds in the wild card race. A home stand this weekend against the wild card-leading Cubs will go a long way in determining if Cincinnati will have a Reds October.
Ben’s Best Bet
Two teams with one win between them doesn’t sound like a game to watch, but this is Purdue (one win over Ball State) and Notre Dame (no wins in two ranked matchups) this weekend. Purdue is a 26.5 point underdog in South Bend this weekend, even though the Irish have fallen out of most everyone’s Top 25 and are scrambling to get some semblance of respect this season. Notre Dame had some bad calls (Ben’s opinion) and a bad snap that contributed to a one point loss to Texas A&M, and the Irish are looking for revenge against someone. Cue the Boilermakers. Ben says, the Irish are going to run it up against their in-state rivals and beat the spread. Sorry Purdue, it’ll be Boiler down this weekend.