AFC Notes: Joe Burrow, Myles Garrett, Bengals, Browns, Ravens

Bengals

Bengals QB Joe Burrow missed the preseason due to a calf injury but said he “felt good enough” to play in Week 1. He also mentioned that his missing the preseason wasn’t the issue for the slow start and that their season-opening performance won’t define the team.

“Nobody is panicking in here, guys,” Burrow said, via the team’s website. “Week One doesn’t define anybody’s season. Obviously, not very good out there. Anybody that watched saw that. But we have been in this spot before and come back stronger and had great years. That’s what we are going to do.”

Browns

Browns LB Anthony Walker commented on the dominant defensive performance by Cleveland, holding Bengals QB Joe Burrow to 82 passing yards in Week 1.

“Our main focus was to change up looks on him,” Walker noted, via Peter King. “We wanted to make it as cloudy as possible for him, and then obviously get some hits on him and get him off his spot. I think that’s what this blitz was able to do. Our plan wasn’t really, you know, pressure, pressure, pressure—but just change up the picture.”

One of the big factors in the game was DE Myles Garrett, who had a big sack on Burrow, with Walker adding that he had a special performance in the season opener.

“You can’t coach that,” Walker said. “You can’t coach that energy. That took whatever life they had away. One more series and (Zac) Taylor raised the white flag. He took out Burrow.”

Ravens

Ravens OC Todd Monken said he’s seen WR Rashod Bateman‘s explosiveness, speed, and playmaking ability in practice. 

“First of all, since I’ve been here over the last two or three weeks-plus, it’s been great to see ‘Bate’ with a smile on his face. I think like any human being when they’re not in a good place – this isn’t just football – what he does for a living, being hurt, being frustrated with rehabbing and coming back, like I said, ‘We’re always better in a good place,’ and I think he’s in a really good place in terms of where he is and what we do offensively and where his health is. So, with that being said, you start to see some of the explosion that he has, the speed [and] the playmaking ability that you love to see [and] that you’ve already seen. Now, it’s a matter of being able to stay healthy, and [I hope] that for him, because it’s what he loves to do,” said Monken, via RavensWire.