After a rough Week 4 loss to Jacksonville, Joe Burrow walked back the heat of the moment without walking away from the larger point. The Bengals quarterback initially suggested Cincinnati should throw more, even though the offense already logged 54 pass attempts and just 13 designed runs. By the time he spoke again, Burrow made it clear the frustration was real, but so was his belief that the offense has to find more balance.
“I might have been a little emotional after the game,” Burrow said, via Geoff Hobson of the team’s website. “Obviously, you want to have balance as an offense, and the run game wasn’t good enough on Sunday, and I feel confident in myself that you put it in my hands and I’m going to make it work.”
He also pointed to the way the game unfolded against a tough Jacksonville front.
“When you get into a game like Sunday, and they’re a really good defense, really good front seven, and I felt like we were moving the ball pretty well in the pass game. I could have been better in spots to help our guys and not put our defense in bad positions with the turnovers. We’ve got to be more balanced going forward, and a big part of that is the run game.”
Burrow’s willingness to keep working through the same issue was part of the message, too. He’s been in the shotgun more than any other team over the first four games, and the idea of getting under center more could help the run game take hold.
“I’m comfortable doing whatever is needed and will execute my best,” Burrow said. “We obviously have to be better at it.
We’re still going to stick with it and keep getting reps invested in that. I think it’s very valuable, so we have to be able to do it.
But we need to be better.”
He also explained why that alignment matters.
“Under center play actions are built off the run game. Teams have to respect the run first and foremost so you don’t just get jet rushers off the edge.
That just puts your offensive linemen in a bad spot when they’re trying to sell run but the defense isn’t respecting the run and just rushing the passer. That’s not a recipe for success, so that starts with the run.”
In Cleveland, there’s at least some encouraging news on the offensive line front. Browns head coach Todd Monken said C Elgton Jenkins should be good to go to practice after missing last week while in the concussion protocol, according to Scott Petrak.
The Browns are also trying to sort out their ground game, and RB coach Duce Staley said QB Quinshon Judkins is feeling the pressure after averaging three yards per carry through four games.
“If he wasn’t frustrated, I’d be mad at him. So he’s searching for answers on how to fix it.” Staley said, via Scott Petrak.
In Baltimore, Lamar Jackson’s Week 5 status is uncertain after an ankle injury kept him out of Wednesday’s practice. Ravens head coach Jesse Minter isn’t rushing to a verdict with several days still left before kickoff.
“It’s Wednesday. There’s a lot of time between now and Sunday,” Minter said, via the team’s social media.
“To Lamar’s credit, he’s getting a lot of treatment and doing things. There’ll be a point later in the week where we’ll kinda figure out where it’s at… When he’s ready to play, he’ll be ready to play.”
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For Cincinnati, the connection is a little more personal than many might realize. One current Bengals player took time to reflect on Ditka after hearing the news, a small but telling sign of how the former stars reach stretched well beyond Chicago and into todays locker rooms. Even years removed from his playing and coaching days, Ditka remained the kind of football name that still carries weight with players who never shared a field with him. [Read more 🡒]
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Chase's availability now sits near the center of that equation, especially with a matchup against the Dolphins looming. The fallout from the play that sent him off the field has already drawn league discipline, but for Cincinnati the bigger question is whether its top receiver can get back in time to help in a game that suddenly carries a little more uncertainty. [Read more 🡒]
JaMarr Chase Still Has One Big Week 5 Hurdle
Ja'Marr Chase moved through the week with a cautious ramp-up, and the signs around him have been encouraging for a Bengals offense that would rather not spend much more time without its top target. Around the league, several notable wideouts have already had their Week 5 situations clarified, with some ruled out and others taken off injury reports altogether, but Chase and Justin Jefferson were still listed as questionable heading into the weekend.
For Cincinnati, the important part is that Chase has been trending in the right direction after an uneven start to the week. He missed one session, returned limited, and then finished with a full practice, which usually points toward a player nearing the finish line. The only thing left is the formal step still sitting between him and the field, the kind of late-week checkpoint that can decide whether a star receiver is available when the Bengals need him most. [Read more 🡒]