Del Duduit

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow lets his actions on the field do the talking…most of the time.

But on Sunday in Charlotte, he stepped out of his comfort zone and gave a pre-game speech to his teammates.

The result was the first win of the season, as the Bengals claimed a 34-24 win over the Carolina Panthers.

The team was getting tired of hearing the phrase “must-win game”, and did something about it finally after going 0-3 to begin the season.

Burrow turned in a “Burrow-like” day — with 232 yards passing with two touchdowns and completing 22 of 31 for a passer rating of 100.5.

He said he did not plan a pregame chat, but felt the need to do something different on Sunday prior to kickoff.

“It just felt right,” Burrow said, when asked about why he felt the need to address his team before the game. “I’m not a big pregame speech guy. I get my mind right and try to keep myself as calm as possible, because emotions are so high pregame. It’s an intense league, so I try to keep myself as low and as even-keel as possible.”

That’s why he’s called Joe Cool.

One of the biggest plays came at the 7:14 mark in the second quarter — with the game tied at 7-7.

The offensive line gave Burrow plenty of time, and he connected with Ja’Marr Chase — who zig-zagged and pinballed off tacklers and outran everyone for a 63-yard touchdown.

The TD was his longest since last year’s Monday Night Football game at Jacksonville on Dec. 4, 2023.

Burrow raced down the field, and jumped up to celebrate with Chase.

“It was time for me to make a play like that on the run,” Chase said. “Make a run like that after the catch. I think we both felt all the adrenaline and pumped up and all excited. It wasn’t supposed to happen.”

Chase finished the game with three catches for 85 yards.

Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase runs for a touchdown during the Bengals’ game against the Carolina Panthers on Sunday at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte.

Courtesy of Ryan Meyer | www.bengals.com

“That’s why I try to get him the ball as much as I can,” Burrow said.

Another big play came near the end of the half with the game again tied, this time at 14-14.

With the ball at the three-yard line and seconds remaining, Burrow tossed the ball to running back Zack Moss, who kept his balance on a cut move — and dove over the goal line with one tick left on the clock for a 21-14 lead.

“I trusted Zack to go make that play,” Burrow said. “I thought he had enough space. Maybe not one of my best decisions, but it worked out for us.”

The play did in fact work out, and gave the Bengals momentum for the start of the third quarter.

“I had no intention of making that play in the moment,” Moss admitted. “Unless it was a scramble drill or something like that. I had my momentum going to the right. The ball caught me off guard … I saw the dude outside of me and then tried to launch it into the end zone.”

The scoring drive to take the lead into the break went 66 yards in nine plays, and featured a perfect drop-in pass to Andrei Iosivas in the middle of the field for a 29-yard gain.

“Hold your breath,” Bengals coach Zac Taylor said about the Moss touchdown off the Burrow swing pass. “It’s great when it works.”

But perhaps the play that sparked the Bengals to the win came with 9:08 to go in the opening quarter.

The Panthers (1-4) had the ball at the Bengals’ one-yard line on fourth down, and went for the score rather than opting for a field goal.

Defensive linemen Kris Jenkins and Sam Hubbard stuffed the line, and made a goal-line stand to give the Bengals the ball on downs.

“That set the tone for the rest of the game, Burrow said, “The defense stepped up big on that.”

Taylor said that although his offense was not able to score on that first drive, it set up another opportunity that the Bengals took advantage of a few minutes later.

For Taylor, it was all about progression.

“Defense gets a stop, offense getting us out there, great punt, turnover, touchdown,” he said.

After that defensive stand and punt, the Panthers were making strives on offense again.

But Cincinnati defensive end Trey Hendrickson came around the side — and got a piece of former Bengals and current Carolina quarterback Andy Dalton’s arm to cause the ball to flicker out and look like a punt.

Cincinnati’s Vonn Bell hauled in the floating ball for an interception, and returned it to the Panthers’ 16-yard line.

“I’m glad he was there,” Bell said of Hendrickson. “It’s a good feeling. It’s tough to win in this league. Now we have to start stacking (wins) them.”

That set up the Bengals’ first score of the game — when Chase Brown capped a six-play drive on a four-yard TD run.

A defensive goal-line stand that led to a punt that led to a turnover that led to score.

“That’s what I mean when I talk about the progression,” Taylor said.

Now that win number-one is finally under the belt, the Bengals have a big task waiting on them on Sunday at The Jungle.

The Baltimore Ravens (2-2) invade the Queen City — after knocking off the Buffalo Bills 33-10 on Sunday Night Football.

“Gotta get a win,” Burrow said. “Enjoy this one for five hours, go to sleep and come back tomorrow and get ready for Baltimore.”

The Bengals got some help on Sunday also, as the Pittsburgh Steelers (3-1) and Cleveland Browns (1-3) both lost.

Here we go — another “must-win” for Cincinnati on Sunday.