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Taking a fourth-quarter lead into their third game of the season, the Bengals allowed the Eagles to tie the game, and in overtime, it remained scoreless.
This is the second time in NFL history, the two cross-conference teams have tied with the Eagles and Bengals tying back in 2008.
That said, rookie quarterback Joe Burrow looked like a veteran with over 300 yards and two touchdowns, while Super Bowl champion Carson Wentz had just 225 yards, one touchdown and two picks.
How did that impact the Bengals in league-wide rankings though? Well, it helped but not much.
Let’s dive into how the national media ranked the Bengals after their Week 3 tie.
“We didn’t win,” Joe Burrow said after Sunday’s 23-23 tie with the Eagles. “That’s all it is to me. (If) you don’t win, you lose. That’s my mindset right now.” Burrow is a competitor, so you understand his sentiment, but Bengals progress in 2020 won’t be measured by wins or losses (or ties). It’s about finding out whether they have a true franchise cornerstone in their rookie quarterback, and that feels apparent after three weeks. Burrow continues to deliver wow moments for Cincy, and he easily outplayed Carson Wentz in Week 3. It will be on the Bengals to do right by Burrow and build up the roster around him, but the most important piece is in place.
At the end of 2019, it seemed as if the Bengals found the best way to use the running back. However, that hasn’t been the case through three games this season. Cincinnati has struggled to unleash Mixon, which was the same problem that happened at the beginning of 2019. Mixon is averaging 54.7 rushing yards per game. — Ben Baby
Joe Burrow scared a lot of people in Ohio when he looked to be in pain after receiving a blow from Malik Jackson on Sunday, but he returned after missing one play. This Bengals season is about one thing alone, and that is the development of the No. 1 overall pick.
Second-round pick Tee Higgins played ahead of John Ross, and then had more snaps and targets than A.J. Green on Sunday. Higgins wasn’t overly efficient, with 40 yards on nine targets, but he did catch two touchdowns. Higgins and Joe Burrow could be a nice combination for many years.
Joe Burrow gives the Bengals plenty of optimism they won’t finish near the bottom again. He’s the perfect fit for Zac Taylor’s offense and he inherits plenty of skill, led by Tyler Boyd and Joe Mixon, and a more promising offensive line with a healthy Jonah Williams. Defensively, the Bengals did invest to be less of a mess, but they are still below average there.
Among the teams at the bottom of these power rankings, the Cincinnati Bengals enter the 2020 season with the most optimism thanks to No. 1 overall pick Joe Burrow.
Fresh off perhaps the best season by a quarterback in college football history, Burrow now must turn around a team that hasn’t sported a winning season since 2015 and hasn’t won a playoff game since 1990.
According to NFL.com’s Marc Sessler, Burrow has lived up to the hype so far.
“He’s just been impressive,” head coach Zac Taylor said. “He’s what we expected when we took him No. 1 overall. He hasn’t disappointed one day he’s been out there.”
Burrow has plenty of skill-position talent at his disposal between Joe Mixon, A.J. Green, Tyler Boyd and Tee Higgins. The Cincy offense could be quietly formidable if the offensive line holds up.
However, the Bengals also need their defense to drastically improve to help them make real progress in their climb back to respectability in 2020.
Tying the Eagles might be the highlight of the season. Thank goodness the Bengals invested in Joey Burrow (no sarcasm).