Pelissero: Joe Burrow (back) will play in Week 2

After throwing for just 55 scoreless yards in the first half, Burrow and the Bengals came out firing on all cylinders in the second half. Trailing 13-0 at halftime, Burrow immediately orchestrated a nine-play, 66-yard drive that ended with a six-yard touchdown pass to Mike Gesicki, and followed that up with four more touchdown drives on his team’s next four possessions to jump out to a 35-13 lead. Burrow was as sharp as could be in the second half, completing 16-of-18 attempts while also completing two passes of 20-plus air yards. Burrow has now thrown four touchdowns in back-to-back games and has four multi-touchdown games this season. He’ll be on the QB1 radar next week when the Bengals play host to the Titans.

The Bengals offense mostly had a smooth-sailing day against the lackadaisical Dolphins defense. After a high-volume Week 4, Burrow threw 32 passes, tossing touchdowns to Mike Gesicki, Samaje Perine, and Tanner Hudson in the first half. He just missed Ja’Marr Chase for a 70-yard score in the second half, but later connected with Chase for a 45-yard score in the third quarter. Burrow was hardly under pressure and had plenty of time to make accurate throws and take deep shots against Miami. He is a fantasy QB1 heading into the Bengals’ bye and gets a middling defense in the Ravens for Week 7.

The Bengals offense struggled to finish drives for much of this game, with Burrow throwing his first touchdown to Mike Gesicki in the third quarter. He also added a rushing touchdown on a fourth-quarter quarterback sneak. Ja’Marr Chase (concussion) leaving early didn’t help as Burrow threw two interceptions and nearly had a third. He threw one to Travis Hunter in the first quarter, though it was nullified by a roughing the passer penalty. He later threw one with under two minutes left in the first half, leading to a Jaguars score the other way. The final interception came in the fourth quarter in the red zone, ending a promising drive. Burrow made great plays under pressure, often finding Tee Higgins downfield. However, the interceptions proved to be back-breaking and the Bengals’ comeback attempt ultimately fell short. Burrow is a low-end fantasy QB1 for Week 5 against a soft Dolphins defense.

Burrow came out hot in this one, completing his first 14 passes while throwing a three-yard touchdown to Ja’Marr Chase on the Bengals’ opening drive. Burrow would throw his second touchdown of the day late in the second half when he connected with Tee Higgins for a 28-yard score and found Mike Gesicki 25 yards downfield on a fourth-and-two for his third touchdown of the day. Burrow led his offense on multiple long drives in this one, but with his team trailing 30-27 and driving late in the fourth quarter, he would cough up the ball on a strip-sack, which was recovered by Pittsburgh to seal the win for the Steelers. Burrow has attempted 30-plus passes in every game this season while throwing for six touchdowns to just one interception. He’ll be on the QB1 radar for next week’s game against the Jaguars.

Burrow was under pressure quite a bit in this one, as he took five sacks, but the Bengals were able to establish enough of a lead on a few incredible out-of-structure plays by Burrow that they took the air out of the ball in the middle of the third quarter. Both touchdown passes were to Ja’Marr Chase, the second as Burrow drifted out of his pocket to the right. It’s full-steam ahead in the QB1 tiers as Burrow heads to Pittsburgh in Week 3.

It never seemed like there was a real chance Burrow would miss this game, even after Josh Johnson was elevated from the practice squad yesterday. Burrow will be on the QB1 line against a Texans defense looking to rebound. Inactive for the Bengals are: Johnson, WR Ke’Shawn Williams, CB Josh Newton, C Connor Lew, OL Myles Hinton, DT B.J. Hill (Achilles), and DT Landon Robinson.

This listing is effectively a formality. Burrow laughed off the idea of missing the Bengals’ game against the Texans earlier this week, and today, coach Zac Taylor said Burrow is “good to go” after practicing in full. Burrow’s status is, of course, worth following, but we do expect him to play. Treat him as a QB1, per usual.

Burrow was upgraded to a full participant in Friday’s practice and is good to go for Sunday’s game, per head coach Zac Taylor. Burrow was limited in the first two practices of the week due to back tightness, but that was likely more out of precaution than it was due to anything serious. Burrow profiles as a high-end QB1 against the Texans.

Burrow has been limited in each of the team’s first two practices, likely because the Bengals are exercising caution with their QB1. With one more practice to go before the Bengals release their final injury report, it sounds like there is no real concern about Burrow’s availability for Week 2 against a Texans defense looking to rebound from a tough season opener in which they allowed 36 points to the Bills. We will be sure to provide a final status for Burrow once the team announces it.

We knew Burrow was practicing, but we did not know whether he would upgrade to full participation. He remains limited, but beat reporters note that Burrow did far more today than he did yesterday. The Bengals’ quarterback skipped stretches before doing some light throwing on Wednesday. Today, he was suited up in pads and appeared to do everything up through individual drills. He likely sat out team drills, but that is not overly concerning. Burrow should be good to go as a QB1 this week. Hopefully, he upgrades to full participation tomorrow.