While Joe Burrow’s backups did him no favors in earning a win, the Cincinnati Bengals quarterback didn’t look like he would need any help this season. After recovering from a wrist injury last season, he made his 2024 debut in a convincing preseason performance.
Burrow only stayed in the game for the Bengals’ initial possession, but he commanded the offense on a 12-play drive. He completed 5 of 7 passes for 51 yards, ending in a touchdown to Tee Higgins. He only attempted two deep passes—one of which drew a pass interference penalty. But he didn’t seem to have any issues uncorking one and looks ready for a rebound.
Of course, the Bengals still protected their prized possession. “We didn’t want to put [Burrow] in harm’s way and do too much drop back. I thought we did a good job getting everybody involved, so everyone was able to kind of touch the ball on that first drive and get in the end zone and get those guys out of the game”, head coach Zac Taylor said.
The former first-overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, Joe Burrow quickly established himself as one of the top players in football early on in his career. He took the Bengals to the Super Bowl in 2021 and only lost to the Chiefs in the conference finals a year later.
A calf injury at the start of the 2023 season hindered his performance, but Burrow rounded into form by midseason. In his last five complete games, he went 146-for-197 passing for 1,480 yards with 12 touchdowns to 4 interceptions. He posted a 107.0 passer rating, and the Bengals went 4-1, the Texans winning on a last-second field goal.
But then Burrow suffered—or aggravated—a wrist injury in Week 11 against the Baltimore Ravens. The city of Cincinnati went through a period of mourning after that, with Jake Browning providing a short respite. That didn’t last long, however, and last night proved a reminder.
After Burrow exited, Browning went 10-for-18 passing for just 52 yards. He threw one interception and failed to find the end zone through the air. The Bengals did not score again until deep into the fourth quarter, punting on three consecutive possessions before the interception.
During his Pro Bowl season o 2022, Joe Burrow went 414-of-606 passing for 4,475 yards. He threw for 35 touchdowns against 12 interceptions and posted four game-winning drives, finishing 12-4. A last-second Harrison Butker field goal in the AFC Championship Game was the only thing keeping him from repeating in the Super Bowl that year.
Now the Chiefs are looking for a three-peat while Burrow is still striving for his first title. But at least it looks as though there is nothing holding him back from an injury perspective. Consider the rest of the league on notice.
