

His prowess in that area has enabled Burrow to thrive while negating the issues on a still problematic offensive line, and having a receiver on a record-setting pace who has put concerns over his skill set to bed has significantly aided the 2019 Heisman Trophy winner’s cause. And he remained accurate and aggressive in the face of pressure, his composure and intelligent movement in the pocket allowing him to excel even with Ravens pass rushers in his vicinity.īurrow’s well-thrown percentage under duress was 81.8%, while he averaged 13.55 air yards on his 11 pass attempts with pressure.įrustrating the Ravens with his ability to evade defenders in the pocket, Burrow’s cool was exemplified by the Bengals’ first touchdown of the game, which saw him shuffle to his left to avoid the monstrous figure of Calais Campbell after a play-action fake and uncork a perfect deep ball to an open C.J. That was only just above the league average of 79.8 for the week, but it was the highest among quarterbacks who threw 10 passes to have averaged at least 9.0 air yards per attempt.īurrow finished the game with 11.0 air yards per attempt, illustrating his willingness to push the ball deep regardless of his perceived deficiencies in arm strength compared to some of the league’s best. He delivered a well-thrown ball on 80.6% of his passes against the Ravens. However, the displays Burrow has put on show through seven games suggest he is on the right path to vindicating his selection as a first overall pick and becoming a top-tier NFL quarterback.īurrow does not have the strongest arm in the league, but he can beat defenses with his accuracy and his poise, both of which came to the fore against the Ravens. Given the contrasting careers experienced by those three quarterbacks, that achievement is no guarantee of future success. He joins a select club also featuring Patrick Mahomes, Nick Foles and Billy Volek.

Burrow Joins Exclusive Groupīurrow, who racked up 406 yards and three scoring throws in a meeting with the Cleveland Browns last year, became the fourth player with two games with at least 400 yards and three touchdown passes within his first 20 career outings. Separated by a year, Burrow and Chase remain firmly on the same page, and they are helping a well-balanced Bengals team write an exciting new chapter in the story of a franchise that has predominantly been a tale of its shortcomings. Meanwhile, Chase is in hot pursuit of history and looks a near-lock for NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year. With Cincinnati sitting pretty at 5-2, doubts over whether Burrow could showcase the required progress after the knee injury that prematurely ended his rookie year are a thing of the past. Their faith in the mind meld between quarterback and wide receiver has, to this point, been handsomely rewarded.īurrow threw for a career-high 416 yards and three touchdowns on Sunday while Chase went for 201 yards and a score on eight catches to help the Bengals emphatically brush aside the Baltimore Ravens 41-17 and take the lead in the AFC North. A year after taking Burrow with the first overall pick in 2020, they passed on the top offensive linemen in the draft, much to the bemusement of many observers, to select Chase fifth overall.
#Mind meld path of champions pro#
The Cincinnati Bengals banked on that partnership translating to the pro game. Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase already had a well-established rapport from their time at LSU, where they combined for 20 passing touchdowns in 2019 as a high-powered passing game helped the Tigers surge to a national championship. Teams that develop an understanding through the experience of consistently lining up with the same players have a distinctly better shot of enjoying success than those who are constantly chopping and changing.

Few things in the NFL are as important as continuity.
