Joe Burrow continues to shine for Bengals
The Bengals were hoping to get their first win of the season, but had to settle for a tie with the Eagles instead.
Joe Burrow was relentless after bouncing back from a rough first quarter to finish 31-of-44 for 312 yards and two touchdowns. The rookie completed 70.5 percent of his passes and had a quarterback rating of 105.5.
Burrow broke another record with his performance on Sunday. His 31 completions against the Eagles put him at 91 completions for his first three games of his career, the most completions by any player in their first three games in NFL history.
Tyler Boyd had 10 receptions for 125 yards on Sunday. The Boyd-Burrow connection is heating up.
“Tyler [Boyd] is a great player," Burrow said after the game. "We have a really good connection right now. I’m really happy with where I’m at with him.”
Boyd has 21 receptions this season. Rookie receiver Tee Higgins added five catches for 40 yards and two touchdowns.
Burrow’s best drive of the game came early in the second half. He found Boyd four times for 60 yards on that possession alone. He capped off the eight-play, 75-yard drive with a touchdown pass to Higgins.
Despite the great individual play, an apparent frustrated Burrow was not satisfied following the game.
“This is a loss to me," Burrow said afterwards. "We didn’t win.”
The offensive line struggles that have plagued the team reached an all-time high on Sunday. The Eagles sacked Burrow eight times and recorded 18 quarterback hits. Three of the sacks on Burrow came in overtime, which prevented the offense from getting into a rhythm.
"We're trying to figure it out. We can't have a 3-technique come as a free runner. That's frustrating," Zac Taylor said afterward.
Billy Price replaced Fred Johnson at right guard for the second half. Burrow found a rhythm after the switch was made, but the Eagle defense consistently went after Johnson and Price the whole game to disrupt the offensive line and protection of Burrow.
Burrow took a nasty hit in the second quarter that resulted in an unnecessary roughness call on the Eagles.
Burrow was fine. He sat out one play and was back under center.
“It sucks. It hurts me, because I know how much Joe wants to win,” Boyd said.
Teammates have praised Burrow for his toughness and leadership since training camp. He continues to shine with the abysmal play of the offensive line. However, Burrow can’t continue to take the beating he has taken in the first three games of the season. The Bengals have to get it fixed.
The Bengals will regroup and prepare for the Jacksonville Jaguars to come to Paul Brown Stadium next Sunday. Kickoff is at 1 p.m.
