Lessons from the Bengals’ overtime win over Vikings
The Cincinnati Bengals defeated the Minnesota Vikings 27-24Sunday at Paul Brown Stadium, an overtime thriller in Week 1.
Here is what we learned from that victory.
Ja’marr Chase shines in rookie debut
Ja'marr Chase was drafted to create explosive plays for the Bengals and he did exactly that Sunday. On a go-route, Chase ran by Vikings' cornerback Bashaud Breeland with ease, and Burrow perfectly placed the ball in his hands. Chase's 50-yard touchdown was his first in the NFL and celebrated accordingly.
“I was excited,” Chase said. “I saw the ball in the air and was pretty excited. That same play, we've worked on in practice, and I knew the audible was coming, so it felt like practice out there.”
Not only was Chase's touchdown significant for the Bengals from a momentum standpoint, but it also put to rest any worry the first-round pick would struggle to do his job. Chase had a number of drops this preseason.
Chase finished with five catches for 101 yards on the day.
Investment to bolster defensive line appears to be paying off
Defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi signed a one-year, prove-it deal with Cincinnati in free agency, and he showed he could be the difference-maker the team needs.
Ogunjobi led with his interior pressure and finished the game with two tackles for loss, one sack and one quarterback hit. Defensive tackles Josh Tupou and B.J. Hill consistently made plays as well. Hill paced the Bengals with two sacks.
“That's why you invest in your defense,” Taylor said following the game. “Those guys stepped up. There's a lot of things we can clean up all over the map for the whole team. But when it mattered, those guys collapsed the pocket and put pressure on the quarterback, and a lot of that stems with coverage as well.”
Overall, Cincinnati had seven quarterback hits and three sacks.
Burrow could be scary for Bengals’ opponents going forward
In his first game since tearing his ACL/MCL in November of 2020, Burrow looked impressive, throwing for 218 yards and two touchdowns.
He completed 20-of-27 passes giving him a quarterback rating of 128.8, and he led his team on the game-winning drive.