The Cleveland Browns defeated the Cincinnati Bengals 35-30 on Thursday night.
Although Joe Burrow found himself on the wrong side of that final score, he still left a lasting impression on the opposing defense.
Following the game, Browns defensive end Myles Garrett admitted that Burrow has some serious grit.
“The guy is tough,” Garrett said.
“He took a lot of shots, and he bounced right back up. He was still putting deep ones on the money and he always kept his eyes downfield. He was never really worried about the rush, unless it was really on him.
“That is better than some veteran quarterbacks. He has a ways to go, but he is already off to a good start. I am impressed by him.”
Burrow was pressured 21 total times against Cleveland – with Garrett being responsible for nine of those pressures. He also managed to record a strip sack for good measure.
.@MylesLGarrett with the strip sack!@Browns recover at the goal line. #Browns
📺: #CINvsCLE on @NFLNetwork
📱: Watch free on NFL App // Yahoo Sports App: https://t.co/VR50LZIQwH pic.twitter.com/Dbb7ysmWdq— NFL (@NFL) September 18, 2020
Despite being hounded by the Cleveland defense all night, Burrow dropped back and threw the ball 61 times. He ultimately finished the game with three touchdowns, no picks and 316 yards after going 37-of-61.
Garrett was not the only member of the Browns impressed with Burrow’s output. Quarterback Baker Mayfield was similarly complimentary.
“The hype is real with Joe,” Mayfield said.
“Obviously, that team loves him. They follow him and he leads them.”
Burrow, for his part, was not happy with his performance.
“Losing isn’t very fun,” he said.
“This might be the only time I’ve lost two games in a row. It doesn’t feel very good. … Losing is unacceptable to me.”
Bengals Postgame News Conference | #SeizeTheDEY https://t.co/6Mv21dREhz
— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) September 18, 2020
While Burrow taking losses personally is great and admirable, Cincinnati didn’t lose because of him on Thursday night.
Odell kept it real. https://t.co/hDGPKniBEG
— Game 7 (@game7__) September 18, 2020
This is a group that finished with the worst record in the league last year for a reason – it simply isn’t constructed particularly well.
The Bengals have a tremendous foundational piece in Burrow. Now the onus is on team brass to build around him.
Will they get it done? Time will tell.
Related: Jarvis Landry Wears Black Panther Cleats For Browns vs Bengals
Jennifer Withers Hoey is a former Business Development Manager who transitioned to writing about sports. With valuable connections all over the West Coast, she has used those contacts to break some of the most interesting stories pertaining to the Portland Trail Blazers, Oregon Ducks, LA Lakers, LA Clippers, Seattle Supersonics (RIP), and more.
