You know Sunday's matchup between the NFL's two most accurate passers of all-time and 2020 draft classmates Joe Burrow and Tua Tagovailoa (1 p.m.-Cincinnati's Local 12) in Miami?
Forget it.
Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel benched Tagovailoa in favor of seventh-round rookie Quinn Ewers as Bengals head coach Zac Taylor looks to up his record to 2-1 against quarterbacks making their first NFL start.
"I think that Mike does a great job with the scheme. I don't want to call it unique because we've seen it over the years with him at different places," said Taylor, who beat McDaniel in their only meeting as head coaches three years ago.
"He does a really good job being creative and stressing you in different ways, maybe that some other teams don't in the run game, and not afraid to be very creative with how he does it … It's a very difficult offense regardless of who the quarterback is. They put a lot of stress in the run game. They do a great job getting guys open with a lot of speed in the pass game that can finish on explosive plays."
Down through the years, the Bengals have faced all kinds of quarterbacks making their first pro starts.
The last to do it, Baltimore's Anthony Brown in the 2022 regular-season finale (a Bengals' win) never appeared in another game. The first to do it, Denver's Marlin Briscoe, beat them in the fifth game the Bengals ever played during a 1968 season that was the first and last year he ever played quarterback before moving to wide receiver for the last eight years of his career.
Two-time NFL MVP Lamar Jackson and Super Bowl MVPs Drew Brees and Joe Flacco won their debuts against the Bengals, future coaches Rick Neuheisel and Wade Wilson got wins, future analysts Mark Malone and Jimmy Clausen took Ls, and Johnny "Football," Manziel got blanked in Cleveland.
It will be recalled that Burrow lost his debut in the 2020 opener in front of an empty Paycor Stadium, 16-13 to the Chargers and Tyrod Taylor under pandemic conditions. He was the overall No. 1 pick. Ewers is No. 231.
"Certainly it's different situations. I had a full 'offseason,' to prepare," said Burrow after Wednesday's practice with a nod to no spring ball and a truncated training camp. "He's getting thrown in there in Week (16) with basically one week of practice as the starter. That's certainly not the easiest position to be in, but that's the situation that you can find yourself in."
Another Nod For DJ
Add Taylor to the growing list of those endorsing cornerback DJ Turner II for Pro Bowl or All-Pro consideration.
Turner, a 2023 second-round pick out of Michigan, leads the league with 17 passes defensed, and when it comes to Pro Football Focus coverage rankings he's graded ahead of last year's All-Pro first-teamers (Patrick Surtain II and Derek Stingley) and second teamers (Christian Gonzalez and Trent McDuffie).
"I think he's having a Pro Bowl year," said Taylor before Wednesday's practice as he recalled his conversation with him before the opener when he told him he wasn't starting.
"I am proud to see the response I've seen from him. That's leadership. When you talk about leadership, developing leadership, it isn't always being loud and vocal. Sometimes you can go out there and I'm just going to do my job and make sure everyone knows I am dependable and they can count of me and that is exactly who DJ Turner has been this year."
Turner remembers that conversation and admitted he was mad, but it didn't matter. He came off the bench in the opener, made a huge interception off Flacco with 1:30 left in the game at the Browns 47 to preserve a 17-16 win, and had the first two of his NFL-leading 17 passes defensed.
"I just told him I'd get it back," Turner said after practice Wednesday. "Yeah, I was (mad), but there was nothing to do but keep working. I made the pick in that game and didn't look back."
Remember 2019
The Bengals return to the site of the Burrow Bowl for the first game with Burrow and it comes nearly six years to the day they lost to the Dolphins and secured the first pick in the first draft of the 2020s to take Burrow.
Not a soul is left from that Bengals team that erased a 23-point lead in the final 6:11 of regulation before losing on the last play of overtime, 38-35. But tight end Mike Gesicki was playing for the Dolphins, and he caught old friend Ryan Fitzpatrick's fourth and final touchdown pass of the day that gave Miami a 35-12 lead.
Burrow, who had just won the Heisman Trophy at LSU, remembers knowing the game might mean something to him.
"I think we were at the point in the year for me where I kind of expected to go where I was going to go," Burrow said, "and I feel like I had thoughts like that. It was a long time ago now. But I believe I remember thinking something like that."
Taylor, then in his first year with the Bengals, looks back on that game fondly. Like the Monday night win over Pittsburgh the next year, he saw it as a character building block for the back-to-back conference championship game appearances in 2021 and 2022.
No tanking allowed. He's looking to build for '26 and beyond.
"It shows the heart and the character of the guys we have that they just want to win," Taylor said. "You tune out the outside noise, and you tune out anybody making a comment to you about a draft pick. That's just nonsense.
"We put every second of our livelihood into winning games and doing everything we can to represent ourselves the right way. And so these types of games are big character games. You get a chance to reveal what we're made of. We know we're not going to the playoffs, but you still get a chance to go out there and fight like we did in 2019."
Injury Update
Burrow (knee) surfaced on Wednesday's injury report but went full.
Same scenario for Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins, although this week they hope it's a different ending after he didn't play Sunday against the Ravens. Taylor said he'll start the week in concussion protocol and practice limited.
Defensive tackle Kris Jenkins Jr. (ankle) and B.J. Hill (ankle) missed Wednesday's practice, so did tight end Noah Fant (ankle), edge Joseph Ossai (ankle), and wide receiver Charlie Jones (ankle). Right tackle Amarius Mims (knee) went full, as did running back Samaje Perine (ankle), Turner (ankle), edge Shemar Stewart (knee), and left guard Dylan Fairchild (hamstring).
Slants and Screens
Taylor isn't sure if Stewart is ready to come off injured reserve after going full in practice last week. But he's anxious to see him play after injuries have cost him all but five games.
"He does a great job taking it all in. Jerry's office is right next to mine," said Taylor of defensive line coach Jerry Montgomery. "I can see the attitude he's got every single day. And so I'm fired up when we do get him out there, whether it's this week or not, for the future that he's got here because he's a guy that I'm really high on … . That's tough to evaluate any rookie when they're fighting through injuries." …
Taylor wouldn't confirm a report that he's got two years left on his deal.
"I don't think it really matters. I coach every day like it's my last. I've been through years in 2019 and 2020 that were literally you coach every game thinking it's your last game," Taylor said. "I've seen how we responded after that in 2021 and 2022 competing for division titles and championships, so this year is no different for me …
Burrow offered support of the coaching staff Wednesday, as well as his mates.
"I think we have really smart coaches. We have a lot of highly talented people that go out and perform at a high level on Sundays, week in and week out," Burrow said. "It's hard for me to talk about the totality of the season this year because I was removed from it for so long.
"I haven't had a season, I've played four games and that's frustrating to me, kind of made me feel like I was on the outside looking in for a lot of it, because that's what happens. So I'm just getting my feet wet again with all of this and it feels good, but I feel confident in the people that we have here." …
For a 40-year-old backup quarterback, Flacco has made a bunch of appearances in these Quick Hits. Ranging from his NFL debut to Turner's career-changing play in the opener. Burrow also referred to him Wednesday as one of the guys he's emulating for a career he wants to be long.
"I think people have proven that you can play at a high level for a long time. Tom Brady proved it. Peyton Manning proved it. Drew Brees proved. Aaron Rodgers is proving it. Joe Flacco is proving it," Burrow said. "So I want to be in the conversations with people like that, and I do everything I need to do for my body to prepare it for these games and for long-term success, and so I plan on doing it for a long time at a high level." …
The Bengals had a shorter workout than usual on Wednesday in the I.E.L. Indoor Facility lasting about an hour.
"Just walked through today," Burrow said. "Towards the end of the seasons, we typically do that on Wednesdays." …
