Joe Burrow plays through calf injury, leads Bengals to first win

CINCINNATI — One factor mattered most when it got here to Joe Burrow enjoying Monday evening: If the Cincinnati Bengals quarterback felt ok to compete, he wished to be on the sector.

Eight days after he aggravated a strained proper calf, Burrow performed each offensive snap and helped the Bengals decide up their first win of the season, a 19-16 decision over the Los Angeles Rams.

The Bengals (1-2) have been going through their first potential three-game dropping streak since Burrow’s rookie season in 2020. That was a giant consider Burrow pushing laborious to play within the prime-time recreation regardless of the calf challenge.

“There’s threat to go on the market and doubtlessly reinjure it,” Burrow stated. “However there’s additionally the chance to not go on the market and be 0-3. So I wished to be on the market for my guys, and I used to be assured that I might be capable of do what I wanted to get the win.”

Burrow was 26-of-49 passing for 259 yards with no touchdowns and one interception. Afterward, he acknowledged that he and the offense have to be higher. Nonetheless, their efficiency was sufficient on an evening when Cincinnati linebacker Logan Wilson had two interceptions and the protection tallied six sacks and held the Rams to at least one landing on 4 crimson zone drives.

Burrow stated he went by means of a exercise Monday morning and felt ok to play. He stated the factors was merely not having any setbacks. As soon as he practiced Friday and Saturday, he stated he felt assured in his means to compete and voiced that sentiment to workforce personnel.

Bengals broad receiver Ja’Marr Chase was vocal all through the week about Burrow not enjoying if he wasn’t utterly wholesome, and Chase repeated that opinion earlier than the sport.

“I used to be like, ‘You bought nuts, boy. I did not need you to play,'” Chase stated. “That simply exhibits that Joe’s hardheaded. However he is a soccer participant, man. You’ll be able to’t knock him from being robust like that. They do not make too many quarterbacks robust like that.”

Burrow responded by telling Chase that he was going to get the ball typically towards the Rams (1-2). And that is precisely what occurred: Chase had 12 catches on 15 targets for 141 yards, together with a 43-yard completion that examined Burrow’s calf.

Bengals coach Zac Taylor, the workforce’s offensive playcaller, dialed up a pretend toss for Burrow that concerned him rolling to his proper with no safety. He discovered a wide-open Chase for Cincinnati’s longest play of the season.

Taylor stated the choice to have Burrow uncovered like that got here out of a dialogue within the days previous the sport about whether or not the 2 felt snug about it. The coach and quarterback had one other dialog earlier than the play that finally arrange a discipline objective.

“I requested him a couple of performs earlier than, and he felt good about it,” Taylor stated. “It is a fast toss, in all probability seven steps earlier than he whipped out the bench path to Ja’Marr.”

The Bengals did not want Burrow to maneuver a ton. They simply wanted for him to be cellular sufficient. Burrow stated he was cautious with extending performs and wasn’t shy about throwing the ball away shortly as he tried to get by means of the sport.

Regardless of being sacked twice and hit six instances, with Rams defensive sort out Aaron Donald registering two of these hits, Burrow was on the sector for the tip of the competition.

The signal-caller is aware of the calf harm may flare up over the course of the season. However Monday’s efficiency was a promising signal because the Bengals put together for a highway recreation towards the Tennessee Titans.

“We did not have any setbacks right now, however it’s nonetheless day-to-day,” Burrow stated. “I’ve realized by means of this course of that it may occur at any time.

“It was good to get by means of this one. And which means we’ll be stronger for this week.”