Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow is taking a beating, and not just on the scoreboard
So what do you know, the Cincinnati Bengals are 0-2 again.
They lost 35-30 at the Cleveland Browns on “Thursday Night Football.” This is the third time in the last four years the Bengals have started the season with consecutive losses. (The exception was 2018.) They are now 2-16 under head coach Zac Taylor and are now 0-10 under Taylor in one-score games.
Thursday night’s problems mirrored previous problems. The offensive line had a difficult time protecting quarterback Joe Burrow. That might have been understandable last Sunday against the Los Angeles Chargers’ pass rush, but not quite as much against the Browns’ front. Fred Johnson had a particularly rough time at right guard subbing for the injured Xavier Su’a-Filo. Johnson was abused by an inside pass rush from the Browns’ Myles Garrett, in which Garrett strip-sacked Burrow near the goal line, handing Cleveland back the football at the Cincinnati one-yard line just after the Bengals had mounted a goal line stand.
Cincinnati’s run defense suffers another rough night
The Bengals’ run defense was abused again, as well. The Browns rushed for 215 yards on 35 carries. Nick Chubb produced 124 yards and two touchdowns on 22 carries. Kareem Hunt gained 86 yards, averaging 8.6 yards per pop on his 10 carries. The Bengals were abysmal against the run in 2019. And not having defensive tackle Geno Atkins for the second straight game didn’t help.
Joe Burrow continues to show promise
Despite the loss, Burrow continues to be a bright spot. He threw the football a ridiculous 61 times on Thursday without an interception. His yards-per-attempt average of 5.2 was not good, but give the guy a break. He was often scrambling for his life. He’s yet to establish a comfortable rhythm with A.J. Green, who looks like he’s shaking off some rust after missing all of last season. Plus, Burrow lost starting tight end C.J. Uzomah, to what might be an Achilles injury.
Asked afterward if he can last 16 games taking the physical punishment he’s received over the first two games, Burrow replied, succinctly, “I’m good.”
On the other side, Cleveland’s Baker Mayfield, the 2017 Heisman Trophy winner — Burrow won it in 2019 — completed 16 of 23 passes for 219 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. Mayfield earned a 110.6 passer rating compared to 90.6 for Burrow.
Next up for the Bengals is a trip to Philadelphia to face the Eagles on Sept. 27. A loss would mean another 0-3 start, the third in four seasons.
Jedrick Wills makes good impression for Cleveland
A bright spot for the Browns, with a local angle, was rookie offensive tackle Jedrick Wills, the Lafayette product who played his college football at Alabama. The Browns’ first-round pick in 2020 earned a good review from Pro Football Focus.
“Jedrick Wills drew the start once again at left tackle, and he was one of the more impressive rookies on the night, particularly in pass protection,” wrote Ben Linsey. “The Browns didn’t run a ton of true pass sets, but it’s still promising to see the rookie hold up at that left tackle spot after making the transition from the right to the left side upon arriving in Cleveland. His run blocking was expected to be a strength coming out of Alabama, and that was the case in this one.”
Cincinnati Bengals 2020 schedule
Sept. 13 LA Chargers L 13-16
Sept. 17 @Cleveland L 30-35
Sept. 27 @Philadelphia
Oct. 4 Jacksonville
Oct. 11 @Baltimore
Oct. 18 @Indianapolis.
Oct. 25 Cleveland
Nov. 1 Tennessee
Nov. 8 bye
Nov. 15 @Pittsburgh
Nov. 22 @Washington
Nov. 29 NY GIants
Dec. 6 @Miami
Dec. 13 Dallas
Dec. 21 Pittsburgh
Dec. 27 @Houston
Jan. 3 Baltimore
This story was originally published September 18, 2020 at 10:34 AM.
