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Ben Baby, ESPN Staff Writer
GLENDALE, Ariz. — Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow did something Sunday that he hasn’t been able to do this season.
He shuffled in the pocket and waited.
In Sunday’s 34-20 win against the Arizona Cardinals, Burrow moved around and bought time as wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase streaked across the back of the end zone. The moment Chase was open, Burrow rifled in a touchdown pass — the duo’s third of the day.
Burrow’s improved mobility, which was absent the first four weeks, was on full display in his scrambling and ability to extend plays, including on the last of his three touchdown passes.
Like other instances in their four years together, coach Zac Taylor was yelling on the sideline for Burrow to throw the ball away. But like in years past, Burrow waited just long enough to make a big play.
“The great quarterbacks, you can’t just keep them in the pocket and put them in a little box,” Taylor said. “They’re going to extend plays sometimes when you’re thinking you shouldn’t. They’re going to hang on to the ball for a second longer than people feel comfortable with, and usually great things happen when that happens.
“That’s the special magic that he’s got that you don’t ever want to take away from him.”
Burrow was 36-of-46 passing for 317 yards and an interception. Chase had 15 catches for 192 yards and set the franchise record for single-game receptions.
Coming into the game, Burrow said the contest against the Cardinals (1-4) was a must-win for a Cincinnati team that sputtered at the start of the season. The back-to-back AFC North champions had scored just three offensive touchdowns in the first four games, and Burrow was dealing with the effect of having aggravated the calf injury in a Week 2 loss against Baltimore.
The fact that he was able to slide to his right, plant his leg and throw across his body to Chase for a 2-yard touchdown gave him confidence that he could move well.
“There’s been a lot of moments that I thought I was good and it turned out not [that way],” Burrow said.
The passing plays weren’t the only ones on which Burrow displayed his mobility. In the third quarter, he scrambled up the middle for a 10-yard gain and a first down. When he got back to his feet, he performed his familiar “microphone drop” celebration with the ball.
Burrow said that particular play was a big deal for him, and is why he reacted in that manner. To his teammates, it was a sign that Burrow was playing at a high level.
“He was in kill mode,” wide receiver Trenton Irwin said of the play. “He was in kill mode from the get-go.”
For Chase, Burrow’s scramble on the very next play — a 4-yard gain up the middle — was the sign that his quarterback was in vintage form.
“We’re just taking a step closer to who we really are,” Chase said. “We keep facing adversity this year. This is not going to be an easy season and, right now, we’re just keeping taking it step-by-step until the next week.”
Burrow compared Sunday’s win to last year’s Week 5 victory against the New Orleans Saints, which also was the Bengals’ second win of the season.
“It means nothing if we don’t go out there and build on it and continue to get better,” Burrow said. “So we’re going to celebrate it tonight and come back to work tomorrow.”
Source: www.espn.com