Almost exactly nine months ago, a run-fo-the-mill regular season matchup between the Cincinnati Bengals and Washington Football Team took place in Landover, Maryland. Just over two full quarters of normalcy had passed when the entire football world was suddenly fixated on the three-yard line near the northwest end zone of Fedex Field.
Bengals rookie quarterback Joe Burrow was down on his back, slowly realizing that his present and immediate future was changing before his very eyes. His left ACL and MCL had been torn in an instant, his rookie season was very much over, and the entire Bengals organization had to take a long look at themselves in the mirror.