Cincinnati Bengals QB Joe Burrow Lays Out 5 Reasons to be Excited About Rest of Season

The Bengals won their first game of the season on Sunday against the Panthers.

Sep 29, 2024; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow (9) prepares to throw the ball as running back Zack Moss (31) blocks and Carolina Panthers defensive end A'Shawn Robinson (94) pressures in the third quarter at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images / Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

The Cincinnati Bengals won their first game of the season, and quarterback Joe Burrow tasted victory in a game he started for the first time in 324 days, dating back to the home win against Buffalo on Nov. 5, 2023.

With a 34-24 road victory against the Carolina Panthers at Bank of American Stadium, the Bengals avoided a 0-4 start, which certainly warranted a huge exhale.

But as rare as victories have been, an even longer drought that ended Sunday and should serve as an indication of where this team can go if it can get its defensive issues solved.

The Bengals didn’t allow a sack against the Panthers, marking just the fourth time that has been the case in Burrow’s 56 career starts – and the first since Week 3, 2021.

Burrow didn’t want to get into comparisons when asked if this is the best line he’s played behind, but it was clear from his response that he’s happy about the direction of the protection, which allowed him to complete 21 of 32 passes for 232 yards and two touchdowns.

“I know they're playing really well right now,” he said. “I'm excited about where those guys are at.”

Today marked the first career start for rookie first-round pick Amarius Mims, who took over for Trent Brown in the second quarter of Monday night’s loss to the Commanders after the veteran suffered a season-ending patellar tendon injury.

“I'm really happy with how Mims played today,” Burrow said. “That was very encouraging. I knew he was gonna come out and play well, but to have that kind of performance like that against a rusher like that was impressive. He's just gonna continue to get better and better.”

Mims gave up one sack against Washington when he over-set and got beat on an inside move.

He made the same mistake today against the Panthers early in the fourth quarter, but Burrow was able to avoid Jadeveon Clowney.

He was not, however, able to avoid trouble.

Burrow rolled right away from the pressure, turning the play into a scramble drill, and his deep shot down the middle of the field resulted in his first interception of the season when Ja’Marr Chase broke toward the pylon just as Burrow let go of the ball.

“I'm throwing it to him, and then as I'm throwing it, he starts running to open field,” Burrow said. “So I don't blame him for that. That was just an unfortunate miscommunication. I wouldn't have done anything different. Sometimes stuff like that happens.”

Joe Burrow was PISSED after this interception. His reaction and a look at the play⬇️⬇️⬇️ #Bengals pic.twitter.com/rMdZc0SR1a

— James Rapien (@JamesRapien) September 29, 2024

The FOX cameras showed Burrow watching the play on the tablet on the bench, and he angrily shook it after watching the interception.

He said it was more frustration because he was proud of the play he made with his feet to escape the pressure.

“I was excited about that one,” he said of his scramble. “That's why I was so frustrated, because I felt good about that.”

It wasn’t his niftiest footwork of the day. That came in the third quarter, when he channeled his incredible scramble last year at San Francisco. Burrow held the ball for 7.31 seconds – his longest time to throw of the season and seventh longest of his career – before finally finding Zack Moss for a 21-yard gain.

“You might call me sneaky athletic,” Burrow quipped after the game.

The play in San Francisco resulted in a 10-yard pass to Tee Higgins for a first down and stands as the longest time to throw (9.71 seconds) of Burrow’s career.

The biggest play Sunday was the product of two things – Chase’s incredible athleticism, and excellent pass protection.

Burrow didn’t have any pressure when he stood in the pocket and waited for Chase to come all the way across the middle before hitting him in stride. Chase broke three tackles and outran the rest of the Carolina defense for a 63-yard touchdown to give the Bengals a 14-7 lead midway through the second quarter.

“They gave us a pressure look and dropped out of it and brought one of those guys,” Burrow said. “The offensive line did a great job on that play. I could have sat back there for another five seconds if I wanted to.

“That was an unbelievable play,” he added, referring to Chase’s effort. “He continues to make incredible plays like that, and it's just a reminder for me that you've got to find ways to get him the ball.”

It wasn’t just pass protection where the offensive line excelled against the Panthers.

The Bengals made a conscious effort to get the ball to running backs Chase Brown and Moss more often, and it paid off with one of the team’s best rushing performances in a while.

Moss and Brown combined for 131 rushing yards on 30 attempts – Brown had 15 for 80, and Moss 15 for 51.

There were three unfortunate holding penalties -- two on Cordell Volson and an especially ill-timed one on Orlando Brown Jr. that allowed the clock to stop in the fourth quarter when the Panthers were out of timeouts.

But overall, it was the line's best game of the year and one of the best of Burrow's career.

“If we can do that all year, we're gonna be one of the best offenses in the league consistently,” Burrow said. “Credit to the offensive line and those running backs. Hopefully we can keep that going.”

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