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This game was supposed to be about Joe Burrow’s comeback. And it was, but it almost wasn’t.
Burrow has been spectacular in his comeback as a quarterback, at least when Cincinnati Bengals Head Coach Zac Taylor let him play.
Taylor let Burrow play with the time running out in overtime, and Burrow responded with a 32-yard pass to CJ Uzomah in 4th and inch to move the Bengals to the Minnesota 20-yard line with just 39 seconds left. . Rookie kicker Evan McPherson finished the run with a 38-yard field goal that gave Cincinnati a 27-24 victory in their opener of the season.
“I think I could have played a little better,” Burrow said at the post-match press conference. “But it’s great to have the victory. I think I played well, but there are always areas where you can improve.
Burrow, in his first regular season game after a torn ACL / MCL suffered in Week 10 of last year, finished 20/27 for 261 yards and two touchdowns, good for a quarterback rating of 128, 8.
But it was almost not enough.
With the Bengals ahead 21-7 in the third quarter and facing a 4th and 1 from their own 30-yard line, Taylor inexplicably gave it a go. The Vikings defense blocked running back Joe Mixon and took over at Cincinnati 30 with 3:16 left in the third quarter.
Minnesota did not pass up the opportunity. The Vikings closed the margin at 21-14 on a 4th pass to Adam Thielen who had 24 yards and one score.
Go back to the start of the game.
Of their first three possessions, Cincinnati has gone five games and out, three games and out, and three games and out. Burrow was 3/5 for 15 yards, all on short passes for his running backs and tight end.
Then Zac Taylor took off the ties. Burrow finished the halftime 11/13 for 134 yards and two touchdowns, with a 149.2 quarterback rating. A perfect score is 158.3.
Ja’Marr Chase, who has struggled to catch football all preseason, had three passes on three targets for 80 yards, including a 50-yard touchdown pass that tied the score at 7-7.
Joe Mixon caught three passes on three targets for 19 yards, and Tee Higgins had two receptions for 16 yards and a touchdown. Tyler Boyd’s only reception was nine yards and a 1st down. The Bengals entered at halftime with a 14-7 lead.
The Bengals extended the margin to 21-7 on a two-yard touchdown from Joe Mixon. Then Taylor made his call, and he compounded the error by going conservative for the remainder of the rule.
Before that point, Burrow was 16/19 for 200 yards and two touchdowns. After that point, and until the cannon shot marking the end of the fourth quarter, Burrow was 1/4 for 18 yards and no score.
It didn’t help that Burrow was sacked five times, and on his last he limped off the pitch which provided more than a few anxious moments. But Burrow is nothing if not hard.
The former Heisman winner came out in overtime and posted a 5/6 record for 66 yards, including Uzomah’s pass that virtually sealed the deal.
Welcome back, Joe. Hopefully things will go a little easier next time.
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