CINCINNATI — 1. Let’s start with Mr. Franchise, Mr. Cincinnati as Cris Collinsworth calls him. The thing that stood out to me the most about Joe Burrow on Sunday was him audibling on four different plays at the line of scrimmage. It was like watching Peyton Manning audible. We heard in the week leading up to the game from Burrow how he had been given more freedom at the line of scrimmage, and I read how Ja’Marr Chase had told him to use his voce more after a Training Camp practice. That’s because Chase views Burrow as a leader, the leader of this football team.
Also on the line of audibling was him getting Vikings defensive tackle Michael Pierce to jump offsides on the play right before the two-minute warning in the first half. That also was the start of a play that resulted in a pass interference putting the ball on the three-yard line, setting up the Bengals first touchdown. Burrow is only in his second year, but he’s already doing things at the line of scrimmage like a 15-year veteran.
2. On the first play of the Bengals first touchdown drive, Burrow spun away from a potential sack and hit Tyler Boyd on the far sideline for a first down. For him to spin away from a potential sack, I think, was huge for him overcoming any mental hurdles he still may be facing coming back from injury.
3. Speaking of Ja’Marr Chase, there was one play that stood out to me. But it’s not the play you’re thinking of. You remember all the drops Chase had in the preseason? The last of those drops came in the third preseason game against Miami, on a bubble screen route. On the first play of the Bengals game-winning drive against Minnesota, the Bengals offense ran the exact same play and Burrow threw it to Chase. This time, the fifth overall pick in this year’s draft hauled it in. The pay only gained six yards, but it got the game-winning drive started. And it had to feel good for Chase to right the wrong on that particular play to end his impressive Bengals and NFL debut.
4. Also on the game-winning drive, the officials bringing out the measuring sticks to determine if Joe Mixon had gotten a first down on 3rd&1 allowed for Zac Taylor to give Burrow those two play calls for the ensuing fourth down play. The Bengals had no timeouts and a running clock inside a minute to play in overtime, so the officials bringing out the measuring sticks was a gift to Taylor and the Bengals offense to setting up the gutsy fourth down play.
5. Another smart coaching decision: with just over seven minutes to play in the first quarter, the Vikings faced a 3rd&6 from their own 24-yard line. But before the Vikings could snap the ball, Bengals defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo called a timeout. He must have seen something he didn’t like, and the timeout paid off as Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins ended up throwing an incomplete pass.
Now, why does this stand out to me? I remember back in 2018 the Bengals were playing the Steelers at home. Cincinnati was clinging to a 21-20 lead as Pittsburgh was driving for a potential winning score. Diehard Bengals fans know what happened with Antonio Brown catching a short slant pass and racing for the game-winning touchdown. But do diehard Bengals fans remember there was confusion amongst the Bengals defense before the ball was snapped? No timeout was called to clear up that confusion. That’s why Anarumo calling a timeout felt different on Sunday, assuring that they were ready and clear on their assignments and coverages. No stale culture here.
6. After one play late in the first half, Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson yelled back at Vikings starting left tackle Rashod Hill “You got nothing!” When was the last time a Bengals player yelled something like that to an opponent with swagger, trash talking?
7. FOX color analyst Daryl “Moose” Johnston had some high praise for the crowd on hand Sunday and the job the Bengals organization did in the front office. In particular, he mentioned the intention of making Paul Brown Stadium a tough place to play.
8. In addition, Zac Taylor mentioned in the week leading up to the game that he wanted fans to make a lot of noise on Sunday, and they did. That shows not only the team has bought into Zac Taylor, but the fans are behind what he is doing and they’re also behind what the front office and organization did in the offseason.
9. Daryl “Moose” Johnston also mentioned on the broadcast that Joe Burrow had said leading up to the game that he was excited to watch the Bengals defense play and how difficult it was going up against them in training camp. A quarterback getting excited about the team’s defense despite all the weapons a quarterback like Burrow has on offense is a testament to the connectedness of this team.
10. Something to keep an eye on: how much Zac Taylor uses Joe Burrow. Johnston and FOX play-by-play announcer Chris Myers pointed out multiple times throughout the game the Bengals conservative gameplan, and it led to nine more rushing plays than passing plays in the final stat sheet. If Zac Taylor is gradually increasing Burrow’s number of attempts per game, that’s actually very smart. The only thing I hope doesn’t decrease is Mixon’s touches per game, as he gives this offense another dimension.
Let me be Frank and Cut to the Chase 