Joe Burrow Says Bengals’ Offense Must Be Better Despite 2 TDs On 2 Drives For Starters

The Cincinnati Bengals’ first-string offense played two series in Thursday night’s preseason opener, and both series ended with Joe Burrow touchdown passes. But Burrow wasn’t satisfied afterward.

“It’s good to play football again,” Burrow said. “I could’ve been better, I missed the first throw. I threw all the other ones where I wanted to put them but I could have spun it a little better … We got to be better. Too many procedural penalties, too many errors. Things like that are gonna happen, but I think it just wasn’t clean enough, across the board.”

After an incomplete pass to Tee Higgins on his first throw of the night, Burrow went 9-for-9 for 123 yards the rest of the way. In addition to his two touchdown passes, Burrow had another touchdown pass negated by a chop block penalty.

The Tanner Hudson touchdown capped the opening possession and came just two plays after the chop block penalty against Lucas Patrick. It set up first and goal at the 21, but Burrow hit Charlie Jones for nine yards before connecting with Hudson on the touchdown. Hudson later caught a touchdown pass from backup quarterback Desmond Ridder.

Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase picked up right where he left off last season, catching four passes for 77 yards and a touchdown.

“Just the threat of being hit is a big reason we want those guys on there. He knows he’s not going to get hit in practice,” head coach Zac Taylor said. “So I think just for it to feel real in a game, whether he’s getting hit or not, I think just him having the knowledge that it’s possible, you know, someone can lose a one-on-one and you hit on the backside, a free runner can come in,… you can’t simulate that rep in practice.”

It’s hard to judge much when the Bengals played all their starters on offense and the Philadelphia Eagles did not play all their starters on defense, but Burrow and Chase looked sharp. If Burrow is right that the Bengals’ offense will get better, that’s a scary thought for the Bengals’ opponents.