Bengals QB Joe Burrow completed 39 of 54 pass attempts for 428 yards, 1 TD, and 2 INTs in Sunday’s loss to Jacksonville. Per Next Gen Stats, the Bengals tallied an 81.7% pass rate, the highest in any game in Burrow’s career. Burrow’s yardage tied for the fourth-most of his career.
What They're Saying
After the game, Burrow suggested that he wasn't worried about the pass-happy approach. Here's his response when asked why (via Pro Football Talk):
“Because I know we’re great at it. Because I know that’s what I do best, and we’re really pass-protecting really well right now. Obviously, we’d like to get more out of the run game, but, you know, I know we’ll make it work.”
2026 Fantasy Football Impact
In the first quarter, Burrow took a deep shot to Tee Higgins that Travis Hunter intercepted, but a roughing-the-passer penalty wiped out the turnover.
In the second quarter, he lost Ja’Marr Chase for the game due to a concussion. That helped Higgins see 16 targets, while Dohnte Meyers and Mitchell Tinsley combined for another 16 targets.
Burrow’s lone TD came on a well-placed throw up the seam to Mike Gesicki between multiple defenders. But both of his INTs were ugly.
He took a hit on the first one, which led to a severely underthrown ball over the middle. Later, he threw a red zone INT when the zone defender read his eyes and jumped a shallow crossing route.
Overall, it was an excellent top-three fantasy day for Burrow. He also posted nice underlying numbers: 7.9 yards per attempt, a 72.2% completion rate, and a +8.1% completion rate over expectation.
We'll see if Chase can make it back for a Week 5 matchup at Miami. Either way, though, Burrow will be a locked-in QB1 for such a favorable matchup.
