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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 Cincinnati Bengals have not been doing that with star quarterback Joe Burrow.
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. But what occurred on Monday night against the Washington Commanders had Bengals fans covering their eyes.
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Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow (9) sacked by Washington Commanders defensive end Dorance Armstrong (92) and Washington Commanders defensive end Jacob Martin (55) during the first half at Northwest Stadium on Aug. 18, 2025. (Amber Searls/Imagn Images)
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.
“Probably don’t want to see Joe Burrow doing this in a preseason game, or in any game, for that matter,” The 33rd Team’s Ari Merov wrote on X while sharing the play.
BENGALS ROOKIE KNOCKS DOWN JOE BURROW DURING PRACTICE, SPARKS HEATED CONFRONTATION WITH TEAMMATES
Then, 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.
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow (9) runs with the ball against the Washington Commanders during the first half at Northwest Stadium on Aug. 18, 2025. (Amber Searls/Imagn Images)
While quarterbacks like 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.
“It’s one of those things for him, that’s what preseason football’s for. Do I love seeing that? No, I don’t,” Taylor said about Burrow’s “bad sack” during an in-game interview with ESPN. “But, at the same time, he’s out there learning what he can and can’t do and we’ve seen him get out of that stuff before and that’s why he’s playing in the preseason, for a chance to feel what it’s like to feel in a game and there’s times where he gets out of that and gets a big play and times where we’re in a tough spot at the two-yard line. He gets a chance to feel all that and learn from it.”
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow (9) walks off the field during halftime against Washington Commanders at Northwest Stadium on Aug. 18, 2025. (Amber Searls/Imagn Images)
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The sentiment still stands for fans who believe Burrow needs to be safer despite his head coach’s philosophy.
“Go down, Joe, it’s August,” ESPN play-by-play announcer Joe Buck said during the broadcast.
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