'Proud to be back': QB Burrow has 2 TDs in win

BALTIMORE -- One play on Thursday night showed just exactly what the Cincinnati Bengals have missed over the past nine games.

Quarterback Joe Burrow stepped up in the pocket and layered a ball in the perfect spot for wide receiver Andrei Iosivas, who caught the ball in stride for a touchdown against the Baltimore Ravens. Burrow celebrated accordingly by yelling and bumping helmets with left tackle Orlando Brown Jr.

After missing more than two months with a turf toe injury that required surgery, Burrow threw two touchdown passes in a 32-14 win at M&T Bank Stadium. It was the reward for a long and strenuous rehab process that started back in September.

"There's no better feeling than that -- putting in work for a long time and going out and it paying off," Burrow said.

Burrow was 24-of-46 passing for 261 yards, the two scores and no interceptions. He helped the Bengals (4-8) snap a four-game losing streak and pick up the team's first win over Baltimore (6-6) since the 2022 postseason.

It took a little while for Burrow and the offense to find their rhythm. Cincinnati's first four drives into the red zone didn't yield a touchdown, including a sequence where the Bengals were stopped on four straight plays inside Baltimore's 2-yard line.

Finding Ja'Marr Chase in key situations helped keep the offense moving. Chase had 100 yards before the end of the third quarter.

But it was later in the game when Burrow finally hit his stride.

"The whole first half, my feet were a little antsy back there," Burrow said. "In the second half, I felt a lot more comfortable [and] started putting them where I wanted to."

One play could be considered the turning point.

With the Bengals threatening to spoil another red zone possession, Burrow lofted a ball toward tight end Tanner Hudson, who spun and made an improbable one-handed catch just before exiting the corner of the end zone. That gave the Bengals a 19-7 lead with 7:22 left in the third quarter and some breathing room that had been hard to find until that point.

"You felt the confidence in the entire team when we had a chance to create some separation for ourselves there," Bengals coach Zac Taylor said after the game. "So it was a big play."

Then came the throw from Burrow that swooped over a defender in zone coverage and into the arms of Iosivas. After the game, in a much calmer manner than in the moments immediately following the throw, Burrow said he was pleased with that ball.

"Didn't exactly spin it the way I wanted it, but that's all right," he said. "I put it in a good spot, and he was ready for the look. That one felt good."

Burrow played the game with a plate in his left shoe. During pregame warmups, Burrow did quick sprints back and forth and worked on changing direction quickly. After the quick tests, he fist-bumped Bengals rehab director Nick Cosgray and continued with the rest of his routine.

And over the course of the game, Burrow had plenty of opportunities to test out that surgically repaired big toe.

He had eight throws on the run, according to Next Gen Stats. On those attempts where he was moving 8 miles per hour or more, he had six completions for 55 yards and a touchdown.

Burrow also had six attempts outside of the pocket. Early in the game, Burrow scrambled to his left and tried to find Iosivas in the end zone. While the pass was incomplete, Burrow said it showed him that he could move better than he anticipated entering Thursday night.

"I was a little more mobile than I expected to be to be honest, so that felt good," Burrow said. "We got a good system on the sideline of changing shoes out and doing what I need to do to stay fresh, so we'll continue to do that."

After the game, Burrow was in a reflective mood. He paused for several moments to answer questions about the recovery process from the toe injury that derailed what could have been a promising season. If Burrow was feeling any extra emotion during the week, Chase said, he might have hidden it.

But there was no denying what Burrow felt after the win.

"[It] hasn't been easy on me through six years from a lot of different angles, but I've worked really hard to put myself in position to be back out there," Burrow said. "And a lot of people around me have done the same.

"There's been a lot of discussions and a lot of time in the training room and just a lot that has gone into this. And I'm proud to be back."