First overall pick Joe Burrow has had a rocky start to his professional career. Here’s what he had to say after the Bengals lost to Cleveland on TNF.
Advertisement
The former national champion is clearly not accustomed to losing football games, claiming that this may be the first time he’s ever lost 2 in row.
You can tell he has the mentality the Bengals so direly require. When asked about starting the season 0-2, Burrow said, “Losing is unacceptable.”
The No. 1 overall pick learning about life in the NFL… pic.twitter.com/Wg2MFjsBEF
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 18, 2020
Also read: NFL Ratings Down: Donald Trump Attacks NFL for Disrespecting Flag and National Anthem
Joe Burrow Had a Historic Night Despite Loss
For the second time since Sunday, Joe Burrow gave fans an idea of why he was the No.1 overall pick. He threw for 316 yards and 3TDs, almost leading the Bengals to a 4th quarter comeback.
However, the most eye popping stat was Burrow’s 61 pass attempts without an interception. The Bengals trailed for nearly the whole night meaning that they relied heavily on the passing game.
His 61 pass attempts is the 2nd highest ever for a rookie, and his 37 completions is all-time record for NFL rookies. These tweets from ESPN Stats and NFL Research sum it up.
Joe Burrow was 37-61 with 316 yards and 3 pass TD on Thursday night.
According to @EliasSports Burrow’s 37 completions are the most in a game by a rookie in NFL history.
His 61 pass attempts are the 2nd most all-time by a rookie quarterback. pic.twitter.com/HAio5K5UM1
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) September 18, 2020
Joe Burrow is the first rookie since 1950 with 60+ pass attempts and zero interceptions in a game
— NFL Research (@NFLResearch) September 18, 2020
Also read: Thursday Night Football: Dynamic Duo Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt torch Bengals’ defense
Can the Bengals Turn it Around in 2020?
Pass protection. In 2 simple words, pass protection is what the Bengals desperately need if they want to give Burrow a chance to succeed.
On many, many occasions during the game, Burrow had to escape the rush and make difficult throws. It’s no coincidence that he had just one completion for 20+ yards.
We know that he can throw the deep balls, but he just didn’t have the time. Take a look at this:
Per NFL Next Gen, Joe Burrow was pressured on 18 of 64 dropbacks. Baker Mayfield was pressured on 3 of 23 dropbacks.
— Ben Baby (@Ben_Baby) September 18, 2020
To be blunt, no one expected the Bengals to have much success this season. However, they have been competitive in their first 2 games, only losing by an average margin of 4 points.
Keep in mind, key defensive players Geno Atkins and Mike Daniels were missing. If they can address certain areas of the team, prioritizing the o-line, they might pull something off late season.
