The Cincinnati Bengals could not have been more excited to get the 2020 NFL season underway for the first time in a long time. After taking former LSU superstar Joe Burrow with the No. 1 overall pick, everyone was excited to get their first look at him.
Burrow and the Bengals ended up losing to the Los Angeles Chargers by a final score of 16-13. It looked like the Bengals were about to pull off a late comeback, but an offensive pass interference call against star wide receiver A.J. Green negated a touchdown. Losing in that fashion was tough, but the Bengals still feel good coming out of Week 1.
In his NFL debut, Burrow completed 23 of his 36 pass attempts for 193 yards, no touchdowns, and one interceptions. He also picked up 46 yards and a touchdown on the ground. Not the best debut, but certainly nothing to be disappointed in.
Take a look at the first touchdown of Burrow's career with the Bengals, even though it was using his legs and not his arm:
TOUCHDOWN JOE BURROW pic.twitter.com/kqmmeJPUAa
— Barstool Ohio State (@BarstoolOSU) September 13, 2020
Needless to say, the Bengals are much more confident that they can turn things around than they have been in recent years. Even though Burrow's debut wasn't a superstar performance, they are expecting a lot of development throughout his rookie year.
Burrow will have an opportunity to improve his numbers in Week 2 as the Bengals hit the road to take on the Cleveland Browns on Thursday Night Football.
So, without further delay, let's take a look at Burrow's debut and give him a grade for his first NFL game.
While the numbers don't reflect a ton of success, Joe Burrow looked good on the field. He didn't make the typical rookie mistakes and only threw one interception. His ability to make plays on the ground was a pleasant surprise for many fans.
Granted, the Chargers do not have the best defense. They were able to step up and slow down A.J. Green and Tyler Boyd, which resulted in a fairly rough offensive performance from the Bengals. Green caught five passes for 51 yards and Boyd caught four passes for 33 yards.
However, Joe Burrow did show leadership and seemed to have a good control over the offense. He has a lot of room to improve, of course, and he has the work ethic to become something very special.
No one can see that Burrow's debut was a smashing success, but it wasn't a failure either. It was a good taste of what the NFL is all about and that will help him get better in Week 2. The Bengals should be even more excited to see what his second game looks like, especially due to the fact that Burrow didn't have the opportunity to play any preseason games.
Joe Burrow Week 1 Grade: B-
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