Joe Burrow and Bengals Starters Score in Front of Large Crowd at Preseason Opener

Simply what the physician ordered. Or at the least Bengals head coach Zac Taylor.

Properly, not precisely. Tampa Bay gained Saturday night time’s wild preseason opener when the Bengals’ fourth-and 12 stand within the final minute was negated by a cross interference name that turned a 14-10 win right into a 17-14 loss.

However on a lovely 73-degree night time in entrance of a big crowd on their new discipline at Paycor Stadium, quarterback Joe Burrow opened the yr with a crisp 12-play, 73-yard landing drive to match the climate.

Rookie huge receiver Jermaine Burton seemingly bookended the night time with 3:33 left within the sport when he ran a stop-and-go earlier than catching a 37-yard landing cross on a pearl from quarterback Logan Woodside down the left sideline to present the Bengals a 14-10 lead.

However Tampa Bay hit 4 straight passes earlier than the stand. Dealing with fourth-and-12, Bengals rookie cornerback Lance Robinson was known as for cross interference. On the subsequent snap, with 57 seconds left, the Bengals had operating again Ramon Jefferson stuffed on the 4, however let him get out for the profitable run.

Woodside connected once more with Burton for one more bomb, this time for 38 yards with 41 seconds left. However they went for the win and could not get the primary down on Woodside’s scramble on fourth down.

Means again within the first ten minutes, the Bengals’ first protection made it a whole night time for the Ones by forcing a three-out of their solely motion of the night time.

Burrow, making his first look since struggling a season-ending throwing wrist damage Nov. 16 in Baltimore, was his deadly self in hitting 5 of seven passes for 51 yards. His final one was a 10-yard flip for a landing to huge receiver Tee Higgins and the Ones have been in a position to get away the sweats on the sidelines for the remainder of the night time, their work finished within the first 6:26.

Higgins was the middle of the drive with two catches for 19 yards and practically hauled in a 58-yard landing when Burrow went bootleg and threw a pleasant ball into double protection. Higgins had it, nevertheless it was poked out on the final minute. He got here again to attract a cross interference penalty on security Josh Hayes on third-and-17 contained in the Tampa Bay 10.

After which Higgins victimized Hayes once more when he caught a cross on the 5 and pivoted leaving Hayes within the mud.

Burrow threw three arrows in his first begin ever in a preseason opener. He began the night time with a nine-yard fast hitter to Higgins up the seam, a 23-yarder in stride to huge receiver Andrei Iosivas operating away from security Tykee Smith on third-and-five, and a excessive nine-yarder drilled over the center hauled in by huge receiver Trenton Irwin.

The Bengals used a wide range of formations on the drive and bought good blocking from tight finish/fullback Drew Pattern on a few Chase Brown runs. Brown carried 5 occasions for 10 yards, however did have runs of 5 and 6 inside.

Brown took the primary return of the brand new NFL kickoff rule at his one and went up the center to the 27.

The offense below backup quarterback Jake Browning did not generate one other first down till he discovered tight finish Tanner Hudson on third-and-four with 35 seconds left within the first half. On fourth-and-seven with 13 seconds left, Hudson once more slithered for seven extra yards to arrange Evan McPherson’s 58-yard discipline purpose strive that went huge proper and ended the half tied at seven.

The Bengals survived three straight three-and-outs and Browning’s interception on an extended ball to huge Kwamie Lassiter II. The protection bent giving up 195 yards, however did not break regardless of giving up 5 yards per rush.

Cincinnati stayed in it with flash performs by some younger defensive gamers within the second half to maintain it shut.

The Bucs had a tricky time blocking deal with Travis Bell, beating them for a deal with, a sack, and a third-and-one disruption. On one other third-and-one, rookie linebacker Maema Njongmeta got here down hill to stuff it. Then on fourth-and-two from the Bengals 3, linebacker Devin Harper knocked down quarterback John Wolford’s cross as the sport moved into the fourth quarter.

Then with six minutes left within the sport, the protection bought the ball again, because of rookie security P.J. Jules’ alert play on Wolford’s bootleg rollout.

The Bengals had a tricky sequence after Tampa took a 10-7 result in open the second half and it summed up the night time for the offensive reserves.

Rookie security Michael Dowell was known as for holding on the kickoff, the primary of three holding calls on left deal with Jackson Carman worn out Browning’s 15-yard third-down conversion cross to Lassiter, and an ineligible downfield name on proper deal with Devin Cochran was declined.

The Bengals did not rating in Browning’s seven drives as he completed 10 of 18 passing for 52 yards.