Subscribe
Follow Us
Joe Burrow was keen on playing in the preseason finale on Thursday night, but coach Zac Taylor opted not to have him suit up. Taylor determined that, given Burrow’s recent performance, there was no necessity for the Bengals' star quarterback to play before the start of the regular season.
Burrow and the Bengals' starting lineup watched from the sidelines as the team fell 27-14 to the Indianapolis Colts. Taylor mentioned that Burrow's showing during the joint practice with the Colts earlier in the week was more than enough to satisfy their preseason needs.
“The Colts practice was one of his best practices of the year. Reminiscent of many of the games he played last year when he was healthy. The accuracy. The decision making. The ball not touching the ground… That kind of put the nail in the coffin of training camp,” said the Bengals head coach.
The Bengals managing Joe Burrows workload through training camp
While Burrow continued to recover from a season-ending ligament injury in his throwing wrist, the Bengals carefully managed his workload during offseason workouts and at various points throughout training camp.
During Thursday night's game, Burrow showed interest in playing, as noted by ESPN. Despite overseeing the first drive of the preseason opener against Tampa Bay, he did not see any additional action in the lead-up to the finale against the Colts.
Bengals wide receiver Kwamie Lassiter II remarked that Burrow demonstrated strong pocket presence, impressive pass velocity, and precise ball placement, notably connecting well with Tee Higgins on two passes.
Lassiter suggested that Burrow's performance was likely influenced by the fact that it was against an opposing team rather than in a typical practice against his own teammates.
Joe Burrow's preseason track record is sparse. In 2021, he participated in just one game with a single pass attempt, which wasn’t significant. He skipped the preseason entirely in both 2022 and 2023.
Burrow's very few pre-season games
This year, after recovering from his injury, he chose to play in the opener against Tampa Bay, possibly to evaluate his wrist's condition.
Burrow was efficient in his appearance against the Buccaneers, hitting 5 of 7 passes and connecting on a 10-yard touchdown with Tee Higgins. However, he sat out the subsequent preseason game, where the Chicago Bears overwhelmed the Cincinnati team with a 27-3 victory.
The Bengals ended the preseason without a win for the second consecutive year, but the attention now turns to finalizing their preparations for the regular season.
With Jake Browning still sidelined by a rib injury, third-string quarterback Logan Woodside made his second start of the preseason. Cincinnati struggled offensively, failing to advance past the Colts' 42-yard line until late in the fourth quarter.
Woodside finally found rookie Jermaine Burton for a 21-yard touchdown, trimming a 13-point deficit with 4:07 remaining. This was their second touchdown connection of the preseason.
On the previous drive, Woodside fumbled, allowing the Colts to recover and quickly set up a 41-yard field goal by Spencer Shrader, extending their lead to 20-7. This followed a 1-yard touchdown scramble by fifth-string Colts quarterback Jason Bean earlier in the fourth quarter.
