Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow took multiple dangerous hits in the team’s preseason game against the Commanders on Monday night, as fans had to look away. The incidents raised concerns about his safety and sparked a debate between the need for experience and the risk of injury. While the Bengals’ approach is to give Burrow extensive reps, fans and analysts are worried about the potential for harm.
There are two schools of thought for NFL preseason: the quarterback needs reps before Week 1, or they need to sit to avoid the chance of an injury. Some teams see a drive or two by their starting quarterback, and other first-teamers on both sides of the ball, just to play it safe. But the Bengals have not been doing that with star quarterback Joe Burrow. Instead, they have adopted a philosophy that emphasizes playing the game and learning from the experience, which has led to Burrow being in the spotlight during preseason games.
The Bengals have mentioned their slow starts in recent seasons, which has led to players like Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase and more first-team offense getting significant reps this preseason. However, the recent incidents have raised concerns among fans who believe that the coach’s approach may be putting the quarterback at unnecessary risk. The two plays that sparked the most discussion were Burrow’s attempt to scramble outside the pocket and the horse collar tackle that left him on the turf.
During the first quarter, Burrow wasn’t playing things safe when he scrambled outside the pocket. With multiple Commanders defenders in pursuit, Burrow didn’t try to go out of bounds or slide, but rather turned around and tried scurrying away from them to keep the play alive. Burrow ended up running more than 15 yards behind the line of scrimmage and three different Washington linemen sacked him near the goal line. Fans and analysts were troubled by the incident, which highlighted the risks of such plays in the NFL.
Another scary moment occurred when the Bengals’ pocket collapsed again, and while trying to get out of it, Burrow was slammed to the turf. It was a horse collar tackle and Washington was given a 15-yard penalty, but Bengals fans couldn’t be happy seeing their franchise quarterback spun around and thrown to the ground in that fashion. These incidents have sparked debates about the safety of starting quarterbacks during preseason games and whether the current approach is putting them at unnecessary risk.
While quarterbacks like the Buffalo Bills’ Josh Allen, Philadelphia Eagles’ Jalen Hurts and Baltimore Ravens’ Lamar Jackson haven’t seen an ounce of preseason game snaps, the Bengals have adopted a different philosophy, having lost the first two regular-season games in each of the past two seasons. These two plays will be talked about the most, but Burrow has been productive through his first two preseason games, going 18-of-24 for three touchdowns in five series between the Commanders and Eagles contests.