CLEVELAND (AP) — Joe Burrow sometimes seems too good to be true.

In just three seasons, he’s taken the NFL by storm, leading Cincinnati to an unexpected Super Bowl appearance and consecutive AFC title games while establishing himself as one of the league’s elite quarterbacks.

Only 26, and there’s hardly a flaw on his resume.

Except for his record against the Browns.

Burrow, who returned to practice this week after missing more than a month with a strained calf, is just 1-4 against AFC North rival Cleveland heading into Sunday’s season opener, when he’ll match up with Deshaun Watson and a defense that has had his number so far.

Although his stats have been pretty solid — completing 66.2% of his passes with 10 touchdowns — Burrow has been a loser against the Browns. He’s 23-13-1 versus everyone else.

In typical Burrow fashion, he offered no excuses for his failure.

“They’re a really good team,” he said when asked about his struggles versus Cleveland. “They got Myles Garrett. They always got great pass rushers. They got great corners. They make plays on offense.

“Their O-line is really good. Nick Chubb is one of the best running backs in football. They got Deshaun, who obviously is one of the best quarterbacks in football. They just have great players all around. It’s always a challenge when you go up against those guys.”

On Thursday, Burrow agreed to a five-year, $275 million extension, making him the highest-paid player in league history. The contract includes more than $219 million guaranteed.

For much of the summer, Burrow’s challenge has been getting healthy.

He put a scare into the Bengals and their fans when he pulled up in a July 27 practice and had to be carted off the field on the second day of training camp.

Burrow said earlier this week that he expects to start, but acknowledged there are days when the calf feels tight. It’s a long season, and the Bengals, who are favored to defend their division title, won’t take any chances with their franchise QB.

Burrow did his best to stay in shape while he was out, and was able to fine-tune mechanics that didn’t need a lot of work.

“I’m spinning it (the ball) as good as I ever have,” he said. “It’s jumping off my hand as good as it ever has. I work on that every offseason. You work on little things here and there that are going to find you that extra mile per hour or that extra rpm or is gonna help you put it in a smaller window.

“So you work on those things every year, and it’s just another year of that. So I’m in a great spot.”

This will be Watson’s second time he’s played against Burrow since joining the Browns. Unlike in 2022, when he served an 11-game suspension for violating the league’s personal conduct policy, Watson’s starting this season in uniform.

Watson was still knocking off rust in Cleveland’s 23-10 loss to Cincinnati last season, his second game after returning.

Although he doesn’t know Burrow well, Watson said he admires his game.

“It’s the grit. It’s the fight. The competitiveness and just the swagger he’s got and all those attributes,” said Watson. “I can keep going on and on, but he’s one of the best in the game for a reason. And he’s had all the success in the world because he works at it.

“So a lot of respect for Joe.”

PROTECTION PLAN

Burrow will be working behind the best offensive line he’s had since entering the league.

The Bengals signed four-time Pro Bowl left tackle Orlando Brown Jr. to protect the QB’s blind side. The 6-foot-8, 345-pound Brown allowed just four sacks in 1,113 snaps last season for the Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs.

Brown was the top offseason investment for Cincinnati, which signed him to a four-year, $64 million deal.

“He’s looked great,” Burrow said. “He’s always thinking about ways he can find an advantage. He’s always asking me about my drops. He’s just a student of the game, and when you have a guy like that, really every guy on our O-line is like that, they’re always trying to find an advantage here or there that’s going to help them find an advantage on Sundays.”

TOP-HEAVY EARLY SCHEDULE

The Browns will find out quickly where they stack up inside their division.

Cleveland faces Cincinnati, Pittsburgh and Baltimore in the first four weeks, a gauntlet of tough games that could go a long way to shaping the season.

Since realignment in 2002, the Browns have never won the AFC North. And it’s been since 1989, when it played in the AFC Central, that Cleveland last won a division title.

While several players downplayed the importance of starting fast, Pro Bowl guard Joel Bitonio, the Browns’ longest-tenured player, said it’s vital Cleveland gets off on the right foot.

“We have urgency,” he said. “Guys want to go out there and compete and get ready to go, but we know it’s a long season, 17 games. You don’t win or lose it in the first week, but we’re excited to get out there and play as a team to start the year off.”

BENGALS’ AWUZIE RETURNS

The Bengals lost their bedrock safety tandem of Jesse Bates III and Vonn Bell to free agency. But the secondary will be boosted by the return of Chidobe Awuzie, who suffered a season-ending knee injury in the loss to Cleveland last Halloween.

Awuzie’s first game back will be on the field where his 2022 season ended.

“In any player’s career, when they go through something like that, to know that he’s less than a year removed from that happening, mentally that’s a huge accomplishment at the level of football that these guys are playing,” Bengals defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo said. “It’ll be emotional for him, I’m sure.”

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AP Sports Writer Mitch Stacy in Cincinnati contributed to this report.

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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

By The Associated Press

CINCINNATI (14-5) at CLEVELAND (7-10)

Sunday, 1 p.m. EDT, CBS

FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK NFL LINE: Bengals by 2 1/2.

SERIES RECORD: Bengals lead 52-47.

LAST MEETING: Bengals beat Browns 23-10 on Dec. 11 in Cincinnati.

BENGALS OFFENSE: OVERALL (8), RUSH (29), PASS (5), SCORING (7).

BENGALS DEFENSE: OVERALL (16), RUSH (7), PASS (23), SCORING (6).

BROWNS OFFENSE: OVERALL (14), RUSH (6), PASS (22), SCORING (18).

BROWNS DEFENSE: OVERALL (14), RUSH (25), PASS (5), SCORING (20).

TURNOVER DIFFERENTIAL: Bengals plus-6; Browns minus-1.

BENGALS PLAYER TO WATCH: QB Joe Burrow missed most of training camp with a strained calf muscle. He was sidelined July 27 and didn’t practice again until Aug. 30. All indications are that the Pro Bowler will play. On Thursday, Burrow became the highest-paid player in the NFL, agreeing to a five-year, $275 million contract extension, a person familiar with the deal told The Associated Press. The contract includes more than $219 million guaranteed, said the person, who spoke on condition of anonymity because it hadn’t been announced.

BROWNS PLAYER TO WATCH: Unlike last season when he was suspended, QB Deshaun Watson begins 2023 on the field. Watson was banned 11 games by the NFL in 2022 for violating the league’s personal-conduct policy after more than two dozen women accused him of inappropriate sexual behavior during massage therapy sessions. Watson looked rusty when he return, going 3-3 in six starts.

KEY MATCHUP: Bengals LT Orlando Brown Jr. vs. Browns All-Pro DE Myles Garrett. The Bengals signed the 6-foot-8, 345-pound Brown in the offseason to protect Burrow’s blind side. He’s had previous matchups with Kansas City against Garrett, who has had his most sacks (11) against Cincinnati and gotten to Burrow eight times.

KEY INJURIES: Bengals DE Joseph Ossai (ankle) is out. … Browns CB Denzel Ward (concussion) could be a game-time decision.

SERIES NOTES: The 100th installment of the “Battle of Ohio.” … After losing seven straight games to Cincinnati, Cleveland has won eight of the past 10 meetings. … Browns coach Kevin Stefanski is 5-1 against the Bengals. … The matchup includes a family tie as Bengals offensive coordinator Brian Callahan is the son of Browns offensive line coach Bill Callahan. … This is Stefanski’s first season opener at home in four years.

STATS AND STUFF: Throwing to one of the league’s most talented trio of wide receivers, Burrow leads a passing attack that ranked fifth in the NFL in passing yards per game (265.0) in 2022. … Cincinnati’s defense, which ranked sixth in points allowed per game (20.1) returns its core. The most significant departures were starting safeties Jesse Bates III and Vonn Bell who signed with other teams. … Cincinnati brings back its three starting receivers — 2021 AP Offensive Rookie of the Year Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd — for a third season together. They combined for 2,837 yards and 21 touchdowns last season. … In 2022, Burrow finished second in the league in TD passes (35) and completion rate (68.3%), and fifth in passing yards (4,475) and completions (414). … The Bengals are the only team with the same head coach and coordinators in place for each season since 2021. Callahan, defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo and assistant head coach/special teams coordinator Darrin Simmons have been with coach Zac Taylor since he was hired in 2019. … Burrow reached 11,000 passing yards in Week 15 of the 2022 season in his 40th game. That tied him with Matthew Stafford as the fourth-fastest QB in NFL history to reach 11,000 yards. … The Browns are just 2-21-1 in season openers since their 1999 expansion rebirth, and 1-15-1 in Week 1 at home. Cleveland hasn’t won an opener at home since 2004. … Watson completed a career-low 58.2% of his passes in the six games he played in 2022 following the suspension. In his second game back, Watson went 26 of 42 for 276 yards with a TD pass and interception in the loss to the Bengals. … Watson is 3-1 in his career against Cincinnati. … One of the main reasons Cleveland signed Watson was so it could compete against the division’s other star QBs — Burrow and Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson. … Browns RB Nick Chubb rushed for a career-high 1,525 yards last season, and the Browns are expected to lean on the Pro Bowler again. … Garrett is coming off his second consecutive 16-sack season. This year, Garrett has quality help up front as Cleveland revamped its line by adding three-time Pro Bowl DE Za’Darius Smith along with DTs Dalvin Tomlinson and Shelby Harris. … Watson has also been given more to work with. The Browns added speedy slot WR Elijah Moore and Marquise Goodwin to give him a proven downfield threats. … Browns K Dustin Hopkins will make his debut with the club after being acquired last week in a trade with the Chargers. … Cleveland has 23 new players on its 53-man roster. … The Browns will pay tribute to late Hall of Fame running back Jim Brown at halftime. Brown, the team’s career rushing leader, died in May at age 87.

FANTASY TIP: With his elite speed and route running ability, Moore could be a primary target this season for Watson, especially when the QB improvises out of the pocket. Moore caught 80 passes in his two seasons with the Jets, and as long as he stays healthy, he could come close to that in 2023.

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