Bengals QB Joe Burrow Bounces Back With Better Performance, But It’s Still Not Enough To Beat Chiefs

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – During large sections of Sunday’s thriller between the Cincinnati Bengals and Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium, it felt as though the first words out of Joe Burrow’s mouth might be, “I told you so.”

Instead, despite playing well and making some of the throws he was unable to make – or even attempt – last week, Burrow was left to lament another “what if” loss against the Chiefs, calling it one of the most frustrating he’s ever had.

“We felt good about the game plan. I was seeing it well. We were protecting. Just didn’t do enough to get it done,” Burrow said after completing 23 of 36 passes for 258 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions.

Burrow, Bengals Rediscover Long Ball, But Win Eludes Them

Forty-seven of Burrow’s passing yards came on a deep shot to Jermaine Burton – the first catch of the rookie’s career – and it set up a go-ahead touchdown pass to Andrei Iosvias on fourth-and-goal from the 3.

That's 2 TD's for @AndreiIosivas!!

📺: #CINvsKC on CBS/@paramountplus pic.twitter.com/0ZZGQZu1oq

— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) September 15, 2024

Burrow only threw six passes longer than 10 yards in last week’s loss against the Patriots, but he and the offense as a whole were much more aggressive against the Chiefs.

“So much is made of last week’s passing game,” Bengals head coach Zac Taylor said. “This showed that we’re in great shape. Joe played like we expect our passing game to perform.”

In addition to the touchdown on fourth down, Burrow connected with tight end Mike Gesicki on a 37-yard catch and run to convert a fourth-and-3 on the first drive of the game.

Burrow leaned heavily into his tight ends all game, with Gesicki leading the team in targets (nine), receptions (seven), and receiving yards (91).

Rookie Erick All had four catches for 32 yards, while Drew Sample added three for 28, with all three coming in the first quarter.

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The 151 combined receiving yards by tight ends smashed Burrow’s previous high of 101, set in a 24-18 victory against the Buffalo Bills last season.

“We’re gonna need those guys, especially the way teams are gonna play us,” Burrow said of his tight ends. “We knew they were gonna double (Ja’Marr Chase), and so we needed those guys to step up, and they did.”

While Burrow didn’t throw an interception, he lost a fumble of a scramble that Kansas City cornerback Chamarri Conner returned 38 yards for a touchdown and a 23-22 lead.

“I thought I played fast and decisive today,” Burrow said. “Obviously, I’ve got to hold on to the ball. Gifted them six points, so that was frustrating.”

“That one obviously really hurt us,” he added. “So it was frustrating that I put us in that position.”

It was the 11th lost fumble of Burrow’s career. The Bengals are 2-9 in games in which he loses a fumble.

But the bigger takeaway should be that the Bengals took a step forward against an elite team. As everyone in the locker room pointed out, there are no moral victories.

Still, this game gave the Bengals – and Burrow – something to build on.

“It’s nice being back playing ball, but this one stings a little bit,” Burrow said.

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While some of his teammates were talking about seeing the Chiefs again, which obviously means in the playoffs, Burrow pumped the brakes on that talk.

“We’ve got a while before we are talking about seeing these guys again,” he said. “We’ve got a lot of football to be played and a lot of practicing to do and a lot of improving to go out and do.”