Zac Taylor Comments on Joe Burrow's Big Hit, Will to Win as Bengals Roll Into Week 2

Avoided big injuries in the heat.

Cincinnati Bengals running back Samaje Perine (34) runs the ball as quarterback Joe Burrow watches during the Bengals win 27-33 over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Paycor Stadium on September 13, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Zac Taylor doesn't have many injuries to worry about in Week 2, and thankfully Joe Burrow didn't pick one up after his big hit on the sideline to gain a first down against Tampa Bay on Sunday.

The Bengals head coach met with the media ahead of Wednesday's opening practice session and discussed Burrow's collision there.

"That's what he's proven to us: he's willing to use his legs to get us everything we can and put us in a great scoring position with a quarterback draw at the end of the half, that's the weapon he's got," Taylor said. "I'm not gonna second-guess every decision he makes. That's easy to do, but he understands the moments. When he needs to do it, when he needs to get down, when he needs to fight for that extra yardage, and that was the situation where he did that.

Meanwhile, Boye Mafe shined in a defensive-line high 37 snaps. Keeping things low and letting everyone eat early in the season could maximize the individual impact and keep guys healthy at the same time.

“Yeah, I think just week one, there's so many unknowns in every way imaginable," Taylor said on Monday. "And so just for a team to come out and start the game the way that we did, getting up 21-3 at one point, I think is big to capitalize on the confidence that we had coming in. And there's a lot of things that we can learn from, but just overall I was proud of the effort, proud of the enthusiasm the guys played with, the confidence they played with.

"And then the objective isn't to be your best team week one. It's to be your best team at the end of the season. So I just want to see that process continue to improve for us as we get ready for Houston.”

All in all, Taylor noted how pleased he was with the showing after reviewing the tape.

The Texans linebacker group has major injury problems; read more on that here.

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