Bengals QB Joe Burrow, WR Ja’Marr Chase, and the starters played two series last night, Zac Taylor true to his word. They produced touchdowns on both of their drives, the second ending in a connection between their two well-compensated stars. Cincinnati didn’t score again until 10 minutes to go in the fourth quarter and ended up losing.
But let’s be honest—it’s the first two drives that matter. The Bengals are trying to stave off slow starts in recent years, and playing Burrow and Chase are a part of that effort. Last season, Cincinnati started the season 1-4, and finished 9-8, just missing the playoffs. They ended the year on a hot streak, winning five games in a row, but they didn’t quality.
Burrow finished the game 9-for-10 for 123 yards and 2 touchdowns, netting nearly a perfect passer rating. Chase caught four passes on four targets for 77 yards, including a 36-yard touchdown from Burrow. The duo ranked first last season in virtually every major passing and receiving category, Chase earning the proverbial “Triple Crown”.
That didn’t mean they were happy, though, especially Burrow. He lamented missing his first pass of the night. “We still have a ways to go, obviously, but it was a good start”, he said, via the Bengals’ website. Burrow, by the way, overtook Aaron Rodgers as the most accurate quarterback in NFL history. He posted a completion percentage north of 70 last season for the second time in his career.
“It was good to see”, the Bengals’ head coach said of Burrow and Chase finding a rhythm right away. “I thought that was a strong start from them. First drive, overcame a penalty, put us in a first and goal from the 20-yard line, to overcome it with the touchdown and to come back in the second drive with the touchdown versus zero, I thought was great to see”.
Burrow and Chase connected on passes of 12, 6, and 23 yards on the Bengals’ opening possession. They had a 9-yard touchdown nullified via penalty before he threw to Tanner Hudson for the score. They had a short second possession thanks to two chunk plays, the last being a 36-yard catch-and-run touchdown from the dynamic duo.
Leading into last night’s game, Taylor said the Bengals planned to play their starters, including Burrow, even more in their second preseason game. After two years of missing the playoffs, he knows he can’t afford to start the season slow again. They have one of the most talented offenses in recent memory, but they haven’t hit the ground running well enough. Last night’s game was an example of how they mean to change that.
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