Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow has been marked by many as one of the only hopes to defeat Patrick Mahomes this season. With that level of hype, comes plenty of pressure to perform well. However, Burrow has taken a step back in the last two seasons.

Can Burrow strengthen his grip on his position near the top of the AFC? This year could be massive in setting the stage for his reputation going into his transition into his 30s.

However, what could happen this year? While nothing can be known for certain on this side of the 2024 season, there are a few key factors to examine that could make or break his season.

Two key factors set to determine Joe Burrow’s 2024 outlook

The biggest factor for Burrow isn’t even the quarterback. Rather, it is his surrounding talent.

Over the last few years, Burrow has had Ja’Marr Chase, Joe Mixon, and Tee Higgins at the drop of a hat. However, his roster could look quite different this year. Mixon is gone and Higgins and Chase are both looking for raises. Higgins appears to be ready to begrudgingly strap it up this season. That said, Chase’s hold-in appears to be threatening to continue into the regular season.

Even if he returns to Bengals practice later this August, he could be entering the regular season cold. If that happens, it could result in a slower September for Burrow. However, as the kinks get ironed out, it should mostly be business as usual, with about 30 touchdowns and about a dozen interceptions serving as the floor.

That said, another big source of anxiety is whether Burrow can remain healthy.

Since 2020, the quarterback has missed massive chunks of the season twice due to injury. He appears to be fully healthy going into this year. But with two lost seasons already under his belt, it is going to take several injury-free campaigns to erase any doubts about his availability.

Of course, the NFL is a violent sport and freak accidents do occur, but injuries only become more likely as a player ages. At 27 years old, there should be little for Joe Burrow to be worried about in that regard.

That said, with two big injuries looming in his recent history, fans will be crossing their fingers to see their quarterback healthy in January.

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