Burrow shakes off calf injury, throws for a season-high 259 yards as Bengals beat the Rams 19-16
Joe Burrow is currently working his way back into shape after missing much of training camp due to a calf ailment.
The Cincinnati Bengals’ 19-16 victory over the Los Angeles Rams on Monday night was significant.
The Pro Bowl quarterback shrugged off the lingering effects of a right calf injury that had him questionable until game time. He wasn’t as agile as normal and didn’t throw a touchdown pass, but he did help the Bengals (1-2) get back on their feet.
“I pride myself on my availability,” Burrow said. “There is a risk of going out there and reinjuring it.” But there’s also the risk of going out there and going 0-3.”
Burrow completed 26 for 49 for 259 yards and threw his second interception of the season. Ja’Marr Chase, his favorite target, with 12 catches for 141 yards, but nine other Bengals caught Burrow’s throws throughout the game.
Chase’s longest grab was a 43-yarder during a third-quarter drive that resulted in Evan McPherson’s third of four field goals.
During the pregame warmup, Burrow informed Chase that he would be playing.
“I didn’t want to see him play,” Chase explained. “It just goes to show how stubborn Joe is.” He is, nonetheless, a football player. It takes a lot to be a quarterback and be wounded at the same time.
“We needed to get this win,” Chase remarked. “I was just there for Joe.” “All I could do was make Joe look good.”
In the third quarter, Joe Mixon’s 14-yard touchdown run gave the defending AFC North champions their first lead of the season. Meanwhile, Bengals linebacker Logan Wilson intercepted Los Angeles quarterback Matthew Stafford twice and sacked him six times.
Stafford threw a 1-yard scoring throw to Tutu Atwell with just over a minute remaining in the game, and the PAT pulled the Rams within three points, but Mitchell Wilcox recovered the onside kick to preserve the Bengals’ victory.
It wasn’t apparent whether Burrow would play until immediately before the game. He suffered the ailment during training camp and worsened it late in the Bengals’ defeat to Baltimore last week. Burrow returned to practice on a limited basis on Thursday, and the club categorized him as doubtful for Saturday.
“In the workout today, (I) felt good enough to play,” Burrow stated. “Don’t have any setbacks” was the basic criterion. It’s still on a daily basis. It’s fantastic to finish this one. This week is going to be better than the previous week.”
Cincinnati’s defense was superb. Stafford was sacked twice by defensive end Trey Hendrickson, and Wilson intercepted him once in each half, giving him his second two-interception game of the season.
“Our defense kept us right in this thing,” said Bengals coach Zac Taylor.
Stafford completed 18 of 39 passes for 269 yards as the Rams fell to 1-2. Puka Nacua, who set a rookie record with 25 receptions for 266 yards in his first two games, led the Rams with five catches for 72 yards.
Mixon was once again a workhorse, carrying 19 times for 65 yards. He ran over left tackle and found a seam to score from 14 yards out on Cincinnati’s first possession of the second half, capping a 10-play, 75-yard drive.
“It did feel like we were in striking distance,” Rams coach Sean McVay said. “I thought the defense kept us in the game the whole night, and I thought it was really unfortunate, especially early on where we had to settle for field goals where we had some of the looks and some of the opportunities to be able to execute, and we just weren’t able to get it done.”
Read more:
Joe Namath blasts Zach Wilson as Jets reaffirm faith in QB
Eagles’ “tush push” becoming the NFL’s most unstoppable play
