We’re going to attempt to discuss a couple of teams seemingly heading in different directions, at least at the moment this is being written.

Keep in mind this is being banged out on the keyboard on Friday morning, so the impending news concerning Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow has yet to be revealed. Burrow suffered some type of wrist and/or hand injury in Thursday night’s loss in Baltimore to the AFC North-leading Ravens.

Another question is when exactly the injury first occurred, and the National Football League is already investigating the matter. Burrow was spotted wearing some sort of soft cast or glove on his right wrist on Wednesday, and the NFL is checking to see if the Bengals withheld injury information. If the injury did occur before the game, it may have been re-aggravated by a hit from Jadaveon Clowney when Burrow appeared to land on his right arm.

If the injury went unreported, that could prove problematic for the franchise, which could be heavily fined or even lose a draft pick for not reporting the injury before the game. It could also be much ado about nothing, but it will be interesting to see just what is revealed by the league.

Speculation is running rampant on the NFL Network, ESPN, local sports talk talking heads, and of course, the ultimate authority, social media. The truth is nobody knows the severity of the injury until an MRI is conducted, and the results won’t be available until after this is submitted for publication on Saturday. The optimistic hope is that it’s just a sprain, which is bad enough; the fear is that it is some of kind of nerve damage, which could keep Burrow out for weeks.

With that said, here’s what I can tell you at the moment:

With or without Burrow, the Bengals’ season hangs in the balance.

Without Burrow, this team has a difficult road even making the playoffs; it can also be said that even with Burrow, this team has its work cut out to finding their way into the postseason.

They’re 5-5, and facing a challenging schedule in their final seven games. In order to make the playoffs, the Bengals more than likely need to win at least five of their remaining games to go 10-7.

That will be far from an easy chore for a team that has not only been victimized by several key injuries, but also a defense that gives up more “explosive” plays than any team in the NFL. This is a stat I have to admit I just recently discovered, and explosive running plays are

defined as a rush of 10 yards or more, and an explosive passing play is a pass of 20-plus yards.

Not only did Burrow depart the game early on Thursday, but cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt also left with a left quad injury. He is expected back for the Pittsburgh game next Sunday, but if he is unable to get back in the lineup quickly, the secondary will be left without their best pass defender.

The defense is also missing Sam Hubbard, an excellent run-stopper, and Trey Hendrickson is also banged up. There has also been an alarming amount of missed tackles by a defense that many were touting as one of the best in the NFL a few weeks ago. It’s always been a defense that bends but doesn’t break, but in recent games, they’re showing signs of breaking. Not only are they giving up big plays, but they’re also getting an inordinate amount of penalties, even though several of the pass interference calls in the Baltimore game were absolutely horrendous.

One of the only positives in the 34-20 loss was the running game, where Joe Mixon rushed for 69 yards on 16 carries, and he ran hard when given the opportunity. Mixon will have to take on an even bigger role if Burrow is out for any period of time, and the line and receivers will have to step it up as well.

Another positive was the play of backup quarterback Jake Browning, who was getting his first real test of NFL action. He took some hits but he responded well in a tough situation. Browning completed 8-of-14 passes for 68 yards and a late TD toss to Ja’Marr Chase, and scrambled his way to 40 yards on the ground on four attempts. Not saying that Browning is in the same league as Burrow, but he certainly didn’t play horribly by any stretch of the imagination.

However, this is appearing to be one of those years when not much is going right for the Men in Stripes, and making the postseason is extremely doubtful at this point.

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YOUNG CATS SHOW PROMISE – On the other hand, a team that appears on the right track is the Kentucky Wildcats.

That may sound preposterous at first glance for a team coming off a loss, but this young UK squad showed a lot of moxie in their 89-84 loss to the top-ranked Kansas Jayhawks on Tuesday night in Chicago.

As we have been saying since the trip to Canada this past summer, this Kentucky team is one that fans will enjoy watching. Despite their inexperience, they showed they can play with a team that many are picking to go deep in

the NCAA tournament, and perhaps bring home the trophy.

The Cats played without fear against a much more experienced foe, and even built a 14-point lead—58-44 with 16:22 remaining—early in the second half.

A few factors played into their downfall late in the game.

They were unable to contain 7-foot-1 Hunter Dickinson—who bullied his way to 27 points and 21 rebounds—in the paint, despite the best efforts of Tre Mitchell and Adou Thiero. We can only wonder what the Cats could’ve done against Dickinson if one or more of their 7-footers could’ve played.

Kentucky also didn’t do a good job guarding Dajuan Harris Jr., who nailed 5-of-6 threes on his way to a 23-point evening. Power forward K.J. Adams Jr. also played well for the Jayhawks, scoring 16 points on 8-of-11 from the floor, and Kevin McCullar Jr., a 6-7 senior guard, had a triple-double with 12 points, 10 boards and 10 assists.

Another aspect of the lead being frittered away was poor shot selection. Not only were freshmen D.J. Wagner and Justin Edwards a combined 1-for-18 from the field, but the team’s most experienced player, Antonio Reeves, rushed several shots and finished 7-for-25, and just 3-for-17 from 3-point range. Reeves still led the team with 24 points and made all seven of his free-throw attempts.

On the other hand, Thiero was outstanding. The 6-foot-8 sophomore was seemingly everywhere, hustling his way to 16 points and 13 rebounds. He gives the Cats positive energy whenever he’s on the court, always going for loose balls and playing hard on the defensive end.

Freshmen guards Rob Dillingham and Reed Sheppard came off the bench and produced positive results as well.

Dillingham, a streak shooter if there ever was one, scored 18 points and drained four consecutive 3-pointers in one stretch of the first half before foul trouble derailed his night. He made eight of his 12 attempts from the field, including 4-of-5 from behind the arc.

Sheppard continues to impress and perhaps even surprise some observers with his heads-up play. All he did was score 13 points in 16 minutes, going 4-for-5 from the field and 3-for-4 from 3-point range, and collect four steals. If Wagner continues to struggle, Sheppard becomes even more important. He has shown he’s capable of playing the point efficiently and when he’s on the court, the rest of the team plays better.

All in all, despite the loss, the game demonstrated that Kentucky is back. They have an unselfish bunch, they pass well, they like to shoot the three, and they play hard on the defensive end.

When one or more of their 21 feet of centers enters the rotation, the Cats could be well on their way to their best

season since the 2018-19 team went to the Elite Eight and finished 30-7.

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“Suppose you were an idiot, and suppose you were a member of Congress; but I repeat myself.” – Mark Twain

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“I know I’m not a saint, but I’m not the guy I’m made out to be by others.” – John Calipari