Joe Burrow’s Bengals debut was spoiled in the final seconds.
Joe Burrow was taken No. 1 overall by the Cincinnati Bengals and instantly the expectations were high. The former LSU star got off to a great start in the NFL and had his Bengals poised for overtime against the Los Angeles Chargers.
Burrow led the offense down the field late and set up a 31-yard field goal from Randy Bullock. The score was 16-13 and only a few seconds remained. Then Bullock missed way right and hurt himself in the process.
Some unreal endings today. First in Detroit and now in Cincinnati. Randy Bullock missed a 31-yard game-tying FG and the #Chargers hold on to win 16-13. pic.twitter.com/EVif8xocNH
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) September 13, 2020
Bengals are still the Bengals.
What an absolute disaster. The Bengals finished 2-14 in 2019 and Burrow provided hope that things would be different Sunday. He finished with 193 yards through the air and 46 on the ground in his NFL debut against a tough Chargers defense.
He went home looking like this.
WHAT A MOOD pic.twitter.com/xfyRd9m2ps
— FanSided (@FanSided) September 13, 2020
Burrow is an Ohio native and this was his grand homecoming. The miss from Bullock was tough to watch and injuring himself is the cherry on top for a franchise that can never get out of its own way.
Now the Bengals have to mentally and physically regroup for a Thursday night game against the Cleveland Browns. The other Ohio team also had a terrible Week 1 in the form of a 38-6 loss to the Baltimore Ravens.
Burrow did not have a touchdown pass, but looked solid in his debut. The key was leading a 69-yard drive late in the fourth quarter to set up the easy field goal. Now the attention is all on Bullock and the severity of his injury.
The quick turnaround for Week 2 may mean the Bengals show up angry and with a new kicker to take on the Browns. Burrow’s debut is now out of the way so fans will be hoping he can throw a few touchdowns to avoid having a game come down to any more kicks.