Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow flashed superstar talent during his first preseason action against the Philadelphia Eagles. Unfortunately, even his dazzling performance wasn’t enough to keep the team from losing. The Bengals fell to the Eagles 34-27 at Lincoln Financial Field, leaving Burrow reflecting on areas that need improvement as the team prepares for the regular season.
Burrow proved his mettle right out of the gates. He led the Bengals offense on two long scoring drives, including putting them up 15–0 in the first quarter. He was efficient, completing 9 of 10 passes for 123 yards and threw a pair of touchdown passes. One of those touchdowns was a 12-yard touchdown pass to tight end Tanner Hudson.
Burrow’s single incompletion on the night came on his first pass attempt, an inaccurate pass to wide receiver Tee Higgins. Looking back on the play, Burrow said, “That was a terrible throw. I just missed.”
This game was only the second time in Burrow’s career that he experienced significant action within the preseason. His presence on the field would be another indication that things are leaning towards the team getting more focused on regular season prep. The defeat against Philadelphia exposed some familiar, troubling themes for the team. Coach Zac Taylor agreed with his quarterback, saying that they just need to be better. “Those are all things that as a team, we can’t tolerate. We’ve got to play better team football than that,” Taylor stated.
Burrow looked back on his rookie season with the Bengals, and started back at a difficult beginning. Dating back to 2019, Cincinnati has managed just one combined victory in Weeks 1 and 2. With that the case, Burrow zeroed in on what he needed to do better ahead of next week’s matchup.
Today was OK though,” he said, suggesting that he has yet higher aspirations for his performance. He is committed to learning his craft. You can observe this here as he works with his teammates to help eliminate the procedural penalties and other miscues that killed their chances against the Eagles.
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