Bengals Quarterback Joe Burrow Throws Jab at Myles Garrett Over Brutal Week 1 Hit

Bengals star quarterback Joe Burrow faced immense pressure from the Browns defense all day during their Week 1 matchup at Huntington Bank Field in Cleveland Ohio.

Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett (95) and Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow (9) hug after the fourth quarter of the NFL Week 1 game between the Cleveland Browns and the Cincinnati Bengals at Huntington Bank Field in Cleveland on Sunday, Sept. 7, 2025. The Bengals begin the season with a 17-16 win over the Browns. | Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Cincinnati Bengals were able to escape Huntington Bank Stadium in Cleveland with a hard fought 17-16 victory over their in-state rivals, but not after facing potentially one of their toughest matchups against a star-studded Browns defense, led by Myles Garrett.

Big plays are made by your star players most often in the NFL, and Sunday's game between the Browns and Bengals was filled with plenty of note-worthy highlights made by some of the game's highest paid players in the entire league. With two teams looking to earn a win in their first game of the season, it was to be expected that those players would be called on down the stretch to put their team in a good position when needed the most.

At the start of the fourth quarter, Cincinnati led by one point following a previously missed extra point opportunity from Cleveland's rookie kicker Andre Szmyt. Burrow and the Bengals were able to take the lead at the end of the third quarter with a huge 35-yard field goal attempt by Evan McPherson, stopping Cleveland’s offense and forcing the ball back in their hands with one quarter left to play.

On third down, Burrow looked to get the ball to his playmaker, star wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase, on a play that ultimately showed Browns defensive end Myles Garrett applying one of the hardest hits you can imagine, forcing the incompletion. Those are moments in a game you don’t often see a completion on, but credit is due to Burrow for delivering a missile of a pass to his receiver in a spot that not many quarterbacks can place their passes so effortlessly. 

Following the game, many questions were posed to Burrow about their win on Sunday, with some focused on the overall quality at which their offense was able to operate.

“Everybody likes to show that hit, but not necessarily where I put the ball in that situation,” Burrow said of Garrett's viral hit.

Even with this type of pressure sustained on an every down basis for Cincinnati’s offense, their defense was able to hold off Cleveland’s attempt to win the game, narrowly escaping Huntington Bank Stadium with a huge win to open the season.

Burrow and the Bengals will look to stay undefeated on Sunday, when they host the visiting Jacksonville Jaguars and Trevor Lawrence. Meanwhile, the Browns will head to Baltimore for another AFC North matchup against the Ravens.