Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow (9) shakes hands after the fourth quarter of the NFL Week 1 game between the Cleveland Browns and the Cincinnati Bengals at Huntington Bank Field in Cleveland on Sunday, Sept. 7, 2025. The Bengals begin the season with a 17-16 win over the Browns. Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Joe Burrow Discusses Tape Takeaways From Lackluster Bengals Passing Offense in Week 1

Originally posted on Cincinnati Bengals on SI
By Russell Heltman | Last updated Sep 10, 2025 3:50 PM ET

Joe Burrow is a student of the game who just got his first big bit of study material to chew on during the 2025 season. The Bengals' quarterback discussed his tape breakdown on Wednesday following an uneven performance against the Browns that produced a win but also just 17 points and 113 passing yards.

Burrow has set a process for processing the footage from a performance that left Cincinnati with seven second-half yards.

"Just try to figure out what happened on the first time you watch it," Burrow said. "There's a lot of stuff going on throughout the game, and you remember the plays and what happened, but you know the film tells a different story. And so you try to figure out if what you remember happening is actually what happened on the tape. And then you look at how did that affect what we did? Did we do the right thing, depending on how the defense played?

"There's, of course, always some plays that you'd like to have back, and certainly, depending on the situation, there's sometimes one that you could have maybe been a little more aggressive with the ball, as opposed to what you decided to do with it. So there are always learning experiences from every drive, every play, every game."

Burrow ended up with a 51.9 ESPN QBR in Week 1 (22nd in the NFL) and posted a 75.6 Pro Football Focus grade after going 14-23 passing. Both are far below his usual marks, but also in line with normal slow starts over the years.

The added camp reps, plus, more days getting better on and off the field, might be a way to snap out of it early this time around.

"We just didn't, didn't make enough plays," Burrow said about the second half of Sunday's 17-16 win. "We had good stuff called. And against those guys, you're going to get one-on-one opportunities, both up front and on the perimeter. And we didn't take advantage of any of those opportunities in the second half. And if you want to be a great offense in the NFL, you have to win your one-on-one battles. And in the second half, we didn't."

Jacksonville limited Carolina to 10 points in a decisive win to start the season, adding confidence to a Trevor Lawrence trying to find his first win over the Bengals after two losses to start his career. He's 0-2 all-time against Burrow.