Joe Burrow will not back down.
It took until November for the Cincinnati Bengals to win a game at home.
And Joe Burrow had to be on top of his game for it to happen. But at least it was a blowout.
So, what did we learn from the 41-24 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders?
Joe Burrow has no chill
Needless to say, falling to 3-6 and 0-5 at home would’ve sealed the deal on the season. So, like against the Baltimore Ravens, Burrow played with complete focus the entire game, this time starting 15 of 15 and finishing with five touchdown passes.
But that doesn’t mean he doesn’t expect more of himself and his team. Even with a 31-10 lead, Burrow got pretty heated over the fact his team had to punt.
The Bengals might be up 21 and that might be Cincinnati’s first punt of the game, but Joe Burrow was not happy on the sideline after the series.
Was mad and yelling in the direction of Ted Karras and then slammed something down after taking a seat on the bench.
— Paul Dehner Jr. (@pauldehnerjr) November 3, 2024
He explained after the game that he won’t be happy unless the Bengals score a touchdown on every drive.
“If we don’t score a touchdown on a drive, I’m not gonna be very happy, for the rest of the year.”
Joe Burrow was very clear after today’s win, about the standard he’s setting for himself and the Bengals.#Bengals @WCPO pic.twitter.com/fOJFJ8FdGJ
— Caleb Noe (@CalebNoeTV) November 3, 2024
With the Ravens coming up on Thursday, Burrow didn’t want to really celebrate the win but instead emphasize how much more work there is to be done. If that’s not leading by example, I’m not sure what is.
Feeding Chase Brown could work
Early in the season, the yards per carry for Chase Brown were insane.
Then the Bengals’ running game started sputtering, and Brown’s average came down as well.
But with Zack Moss out with a neck injury, Brown was the only running back to touch the ball. And he shined in that role.
The second-year running back carried the ball 27 times, by far a career high. And he held up just fine, finishing with 120 yards and a hearty 4.4 yards per carry average. His longest carry was only 21 yards, so Brown was consistently getting positive yardage.
That’s a great sign, as Moss might not be back for a while.
Zac Taylor is learning… sort of
The Bengals’ head coach decided to go for it on 4th and three on Cincinnati’s opening drive, and it paid off immensely, as Brown would catch a touchdown from Burrow.
Taylor also let Burrow throw deep late in the game with the Bengals ahead 31-17, and that, too, resulted in a big touchdown, this time to Mike Gesicki.
However, Taylor also called yet another pass to Ja’Marr Chase behind the line of scrimmage, and woah boy did that end badly, as Jack Jones picked off the pass and returned it for a touchdown.
In short, if Taylor lets Burrow be more aggressive and thrown downfield, the good will outweigh the bad. It appears the head coach is starting to realize that.