Postgame Observations: Joe Burrow Shines in Return, Bengals Fall to Buccaneers 17-14

The Bengals fall to 0-1 this preseason.

Aug 10, 2024; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow (9) snaps the ball against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the first half at Paycor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-USA TODAY Sports / Katie Stratman-USA TODAY Sports

CINCINNATI — The Bengals lost to the Buccaneers 17-14 on Saturday night. Here are our postgame observations:

The Return

What a return for Joe Burrow.

The 27-year-old led the Bengals on a 12-play drive that ended with a 10-yard touchdown pass to Tee Higgins to start the game on Saturday night against the Buccaneers.

The Bengals won the coin toss and took the ball. Burrow completed 5-of-7 passes for 51 yards on the drive. He completed a pass to four different players: Higgins, Andrei Iosivas, Trenton Irwin and Chase Brown.

The Bengals racked up five first downs and went 73 yards in 6:26.

The first-team offensive line kept Burrow clean. Rookie Amarius Mims looked comfortable in passing situations. He was on the field for two drives (15 plays). Chase Brown got the start at running back, finishing with 10 yards. He didn't return after the opening drive.

Watch Burrow's touchdown pass to Higgins here.

Cornerback Competition

DJ Turner II got the start at corner alongside Cam Taylor-Britt and Mike Hilton. He had one tackle and was in the game for the first two drives (11 snaps).

Dax Hill entered the game on the first drive and played 32 snaps. He finished with three pass breakups and nearly had an interception. He gave up a 28-yard pass to Rakim Jarrett, but had a solid game overall.

Rookie Josh Newton had a nice interception. Cutting in front of Ryan Miller to intercept a Kyle Trask pass. Newton has had an impressive camp and that continued on Saturday night.

Burton Shines

The Bengals' offense struggled for most of the game after Burrow left, but rookie wide receiver Jermaine Burton changed that late in the fourth quarter.

Logan Woodside threw a 37-yard touchdown to Burton with 3:33 remaining. The third-round rookie didn't get into the game until the second half, but made an impact with two receptions for 44 yards on the drive.

Watch Burton's touchdown here.

The Buccaneers answered with a touchdown and Burton struck again. The rookie caught a 38-yard pass from Woodside to get the Bengals to the Buccaneers' 24-yard line.

Burton finished with three catches for 82 yards. Woodside nearly had a touchdown pass to Kendric Pryor two plays later, but threw it short.

Quick Response

The Buccaneers responded with an 8-play, 60-yard drive that ended with a three-yard touchdown by Ramon Jefferson. The Bengals appeared to end the drive on downs, but Lance Robinson was called for pass interference to extend the drive and put Tampa Bay in position for the win.

Punter Battle

Brad Robbins averaged 50 yards on three punts with a long of 60. Ryan Rehkow had three punts with an average of 56 yards, a long of 59 and one touchback.

It's worth noting that Rehkow was the holder on Evan McPherson's lone field goal attempt—a 58 yard miss at the end of the first half. Robbins was the holder on both of McPherson's extra points.

Defensive Tackle Battle

Myles Murphy and Joseph Ossai were impressive in limited action. Murphy had two quarterback hits and Ossai had one tackle for loss.

Travis Bell had a clean win for a sack in the third quarter. It was a six-yard loss. Bell was also called for a neutral zone infraction on a fourth-and-1 that extended a Buccaneers' drive.

Rookie Cedric Johnson also had one sack, two quarterback hits and one tackle for loss.

Veterans Sheldon Rankins and Sam Hubbard didn't play.

Backup Offensive Line

Jackson Carman is entering his fourth season and the Fairfield product struggled on Saturday night. He was called for three holding penalties and one false start penalty. He is firmly on the roster bubble.

Carman night not even be the best offensive lineman named Jackson. Jaxson Kirkland had a solid night at guard and could play his way into a roster spot.

Matt Lee saw his first snaps at center in the fourth quarter. He's another player that looked the part and could push for a roster spot.

Up Next

The Bengals will practice twice in Cincinnati this week, before heading to Chicago to have a joint practice with the Bears. Their next preseason game is Saturday, Aug. 17 at 1 p.m. ET.

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