CINCINNATI — One Bengals legend clearly does not want Joe Burrow to return this season unless they have a very likely chance to earn a playoff spot.

Chad Johnson explained why he doesn’t want Burrow to return on Inside the NFL. It has a lot to do with Cincinnati’s historically bad defense.

“Regardless of what Joe’s out there, it really doesn’t matter, because I think our record will still be the same, and our chances of making the playoffs will still be slim, because we can’t stop no damn body,” Johnson said. “We can’t stop anybody. So we get Joe back, we get excited. We put him out there again, and you know he’s coming fresh off a surgery. No, no, we don’t need that. We don’t need that unless we’re certain we have an opportunity to make the playoffs. Joe Sheisty, just relax, chill.”

Cincinnati is allowing an astounding 2.93 points per drive this season, which is easily the highest mark this century.

We’ll see if they’ve found any fixes across the bye week on Sunday against Pittsburgh, but football players play football, and Burrow could still barrel his way onto the field once fully healthy, even if the defense stays like it is.

Johnson doesn’t want to see him play at all.

“Absolutely not. I’d rather Joe continue to relax and sit down,” allow Joe Flacco to do what he’s been doing with the offense and see if the defense can somehow muster up some type of ability to tackle, ability to stop passes through the air, and then come back. Just coming back to come back, to say, ‘Hey, look, I’m back early from injury,’ and we go out there and have all world offensive play, and the other team scores 50, what’s the point? No disrespect. I love my Bengals, but let’s be serious. Let’s be realistic. I have expectations too, but I also understand where our Achilles heel is. It’s on the defensive end.”

If the defense can’t turn it around, they’ll have wasted back-to-back seasons of Burrow’s prime.

The next chance to turn it around is Sunday at 1 p.m. ET against Pittsburgh.