Bengals: Joe Burrow ready to ‘put on a show’ in Cleveland

Burrow is about as ready for the start of the season as he’s ever been and is looking to take advantage of great preparation to get the Bengals off on the right foot Sunday in the opener at Cleveland.

“I would take that every day of the week,” Burrow said. “I think I’m in a good spot. I think I’ve been consistent with my routine, keeping my body right. So, just got to maintain that throughout the whole year. This is just the start.”

Last year, Burrow had a fairly normal training camp but was still testing out the right wrist he had surgically repaired in November 2023, and early on, the Bengals had him take extra days off to rest it. He enjoyed a productive camp for himself but played just one series in preseason and wasn’t hit at all.

Cincinnati also was missing Ja’Marr Chase all camp and offseason last year because of his contract situation still being sorted, but both he and Tee Higgins signed long-term deals in March of this year and participated in offseason workouts with the team and throughout training camp. Burrow also got to play five series this preseason, took two sacks and lost a fumble that was negated by a penalty to shake off some of the rust before the real games.

Burrow didn’t know if coming back from a wrist injury and missing Chase last preseason made the 2024 opener “abnormal,” but he’s happy with the progress made by the offense going into Week 1.

Credit: AP

Credit: AP

“I think we’re in a good spot,” Burrow said. “I’m excited about all of the work we’ve put in all of training camp. I don’t know about ‘normal.’ I don’t know what would be ‘abnormal,’ but I’m really excited about where our team’s at and the energy of some of the young guys. I know we have a lot of hungry young players to prove themselves, so I’m excited to see them.”

“I’m excited to play football again, get in front of the fans and show what we’ve done all offseason,” Burrow later added. “That’s what this is all about. Showing everyone the work you put in over the last eight months to make yourself better in front of the world. I’m excited to put on a show.”

Burrow threw for just 164 yards and no touchdowns last year in the opening loss to New England, and he’s typically gotten off to slow starts individually. He said he’s treating Sunday like “any other game,” but it’s no secret there is an emphasis on starting faster.

The Bengals won just one opener during his first five NFL seasons, in 2021, and after missing the playoffs the past two years, a better start seems crucial. That 2021 Super Bowl season kicked off with Burrow throwing for 261 yards and two touchdowns while completing 74.1 percent of his passes in a 27-24 overtime win over Minnesota, a game in which he overcame five sacks in his first action since 2020 ACL surgery.

The other outings weren’t so good. In 2023, when he was still working through a calf injury in a 24-3 loss at Cleveland in Week 1, Burrow threw for just 82 yards while completing 45.2 percent of his passes. In 2022, after he was limited during training camp by an appendectomy, Burrow had five turnovers, including four interceptions, in a loss to Pittsburgh.

“Obviously, there’s an emphasis on the start of this season and then having to win some of these games early, but that comes down to Sundays,” Burrow said. “Our prep has always been excellent in my opinion, we’re going to have the right game plan because we have great coaches, and we’re going to know what we’re doing when we’re out there, because we put in the work.”

Credit: AP

Credit: AP

It should help that Burrow now is going into Year 6 having seen just about everything opposing defenses can think to throw at him. Cleveland still has cornerback Denzel Ward and edge rusher Myles Garrett for Burrow to worry about - with an offensive line in front of him that saw changes at both guard positions with rookie Dylan Fairchild starting on the left and veteran newcomer Lucas Patrick on the right.

Burrow said the Browns don’t typically pressure a lot but when they do, it’s effective. He’s leaning on his own experience to this point to help navigate whatever challenges they throw his way.

“I feel like I’ve seen just about every look that you can get with all of our different plays,” Burrow said. “Anytime you are in the same system for that many years you know all the ins and outs, the weaknesses of each play and the plays you can get to attack whatever you are seeing, so I feel like, like I said, I’ve just seen a lot of different things in a lot of different situations and can adapt accordingly.”

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