In the last two minutes of the fourth quarter on Thursday night, the Cincinnati Bengals were just out of field goal range. Quarterback Joe Burrow saw the Jacksonville Jaguars linebackers and safeties moving, and he flashed back to a blowout loss last season against the Baltimore Ravens.
In the moment, he remembered the way that the Ravens execute a “zero blitz” scheme in big situations, and that they always blitz the quarterback when they’ve shown that pressure. Burrow thought about how the Jaguars had hired a former Ravens assistant coach and brought in that defensive scheme.
So with the game on the line, Burrow audibled the play to tight end C.J. Uzomah. The successful 25-yard pass set up a game-winning field goal by rookie kicker Evan McPherson to give the Bengals a 24-21 win over the Jaguars at Paul Brown Stadium.
“You guys have heard me talking about just having the playbook in the back of my head and seeing looks that I can take advantage of,” Burrow said. “That just comes with experience.”
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The Bengals were down 14-0 at halftime. On the second play of the second half, Burrow saw wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase in one-on-one coverage with no safety over the top.
When the Bengals season was approaching its lowest point, Burrow threw a 44-yards deep ball to wide receiver Chase down the sideline. And just like every other team the Bengals have played this season, the Jaguars didn’t stop it.
The game-changing throw to Uzomah in the last minute was another opportunity Burrow recognized.
“(Burrow) is the smartest person out there at all times,” Uzomah said. “He’s just ‘Joey Franchise.’”
Then, with just over five minutes left in the fourth quarter, in a 21-21 game, Burrow got the ball back. As the team advanced down the field, Bengals running back Joe Mixon left the game with an ankle injury. Then there was a false start and a holding call. Then the Jaguars showed the same zero blitz that frustrated Burrow in 2020.
This time, Burrow beat the most aggressive blitz in the NFL.
“That’s the chemistry of our offense right now,” Bengals head coach Zac Taylor said. “We can call anything, and the guys know what to do because their football I.Q. is so high.”
When Burrow called for the audible to Uzomah, Uzomah and wide receiver Tyler Boyd both thought, “What did he just call?”
Burrow called for a screen to Uzomah and had the other receivers on his side of the field block for him. It’s a play that’s usually called for a more explosive playmaker like Chase or Boyd.
Since Uzomah started the play standing on the far right side of the field, Burrow called the play for him. And it worked.
“We had known going in that this coach had come from the Ravens and that's what they like to do,” Uzomah said. “They like to (zero blitz) in critical situations, and ‘Franchise’ is back there just dealing darts and knowing and understanding what the defense is doing. He called that play up and just made something happen.”
The Bengals improved to 3-1 on the season. In two of those wins, Burrow made an audible in the last two minutes to set up a game-winning kick.
Both when the Bengals were down by 14 points and while they drove to get back in the game, Uzomah said Burrow’s demeanor on the sideline didn’t change. But on the field, Burrow started extending plays, taking shots down the field and leading the most impressive comeback win of his NFL career.
"I think I've gotten better and better each week,” Burrow said. “There are going to be games like that where you have to step up and make plays. I'm really happy with my performance tonight. I'm just going to keep building on this and getting better and better."
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