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Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow (9) throws during the first half of an NFL football game against the Los Angeles Chargers, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2020, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Aaron Doster)
CINCINNATI (WKRC) - Joe Burrow had a fairy tale finish in an otherwise ugly NFL debut wiped out by a penalty and kicker Randy Bullock missed a 31-yard field goal with two seconds left that would have forced overtime as the Bengals suffered a brutal season-opening 16-13 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday in Paul Brown Stadium.
Burrow completed 8 of 11 passes for 69 yards to drive the Bengals from their own 18 with 3:03 remaining to a first-and-goal at the Chargers 3 with 12 seconds remaining.
On the first down play he completed a touchdown pass near the right front pylon to wide receiver A.J. Green only to have Green get called for offensive pass interference.
Bullock came on to try and force overtime, but missed the field goal wide right.
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Burrow finished 23 of 36 for 193 yards, threw a crucial interception earlier in the fourth quarter and was sacked three times. He did rush for 46 yards and a touchdown.
The Chargers took their first lead of the game 16-13 on a 21-yard field by Michael Badgley with 8:56 left in the game.
The field goal was set up when Bengals running back Joe Mixon fumbled and former Bengals linebacker Nick Vigil recovered on the Bengals 24. It marked the first time Mixon had lost a fumble since the regular-season finale in 2017, spanning 622 touches.
The Chargers had it first-and-goal on the Bengals 2, but linebacker Josh Bynes dropped Joshua Kelley for a one-yard loss, and then cornerback William Jackson III broke up a pass on second down and safety Jessie Bates III broke up a pass on third down.
The Bengals responded by driving to their own 25 to the Chargers 23, but on first-and-10 from there Burrow tried to flip a pass to running back Giovani Bernard as he scrambled to his left and threw it right to Chargers defensive end Melvin Ingram instead with 5:13 remaining.
After the Bengals held a 7-6 halftime lead, the Chargers had a chance to take their first lead of the game on the first series of the second half, but Badgley missed a 50-yard field goal wide right 3:20 into the half.
The Bengals responded by driving to the Chargers 32, and had two opportunities for touchdowns on back-to-back plays from there. The first came when John Ross couldn't catch a perfect pass from Burrow as it appeared he didn't extend his arms for the ball, and on the next play Burrow badly overthrew Green in the end zone after Green broke wide open.
Bullock salvaged the drive by booting a 50-yard field goal to give the Bengals a 10-6 lead with 9:12 left in the third quarter.
The next time the Bengals had the ball they put together their best drive of the game to that point when they used 11 plays to move from their own 32 to the Chargers 25, but had to settle for a 43-yard field goal by Bullock with 1:32 remaining in the third quarter to increase their lead to 13-6.
Joe Reed returned the ensuing kickoff 46 yards to the Chargers 45, and they proceeded to drive 55 yards in 10 plays and tied the score at 13-13 when Joshua Kelley barrelled into the end zone from four yards out with 12:23 remaining in the game.
Neither team sustained much offensively in the first half. The Bengals' suspect offense line was dominated by the Chargers defensive front. The Chargers had two different starting guards and a different starting center than they had projected to start the week due to center Mike Pouncey and right guard Trai Turner being inactive due to injuries.
The Bengals were limited to only 88 yards of total offense and five first downs in the first half as they struggled to run it (Joe Mixon had 30 yards on nine carries) and Burrow had little time to pass it as he was sacked three times and hit on several of his 14 attempts before being able to step into a throw.
The Bengals were still able to grab a 7-6 lead thanks to the great touchdown run by Burrow on what appeared to be a designed draw. Burrow noticed only Chargers safety Rayshawn Jenkins in the middle of the field, but Jenkins was 10 yards down the field. Burrow used center Trey Hopkins expertly in the open field to block Jenkins and raced into the end zone with 2:24 left in the first quarter.
He was 9 of 14 passing for only 51 yards with his first completion coming on the Bengals second offensive series when he hit Green for four yards. The catch was Green's first in a game since Dec. 2, 2018 against Denver. He finished the first half with a team-high three receptions for a team-high 28 yards.
The Chargers did have 232 yards in the first half, but were stopped twice on fourth down in Bengals territory.
The first stop came on the first play of the second quarter when defensive end Sam Hubbard dropped Taylor for a one-yard loss on a fourth-and-2 read option keeper from the Bengals 39. The second stop came when Taylor was stuffed for no gain sneak on a fourth-and-1 sneak from the Bengals 41.
Los Angeles closed to within 7-3 on a 24-yard field goal by Badgley with 7:13 left in the half, and the Chargers cut it to 7-6 on a 43-yard field goal by Badgley on the final play of the first half.
NOTEWORTHY: Players and coaches from both teams locked arms in solidarity at midfield as the national anthem was played and no one took a knee. ... All seven Bengals wide receivers who were active for Sunday's game played in the first quarter. ... Defensive end Carl Lawson recorded the first sack of the season late in the first quatter when he dropped Taylor for a one-yard loss. ... Bynes was also credited with a sack in the third quarter for no yards lost. ... Starting right guard Xavier Su'a Filo left the game with 4:50 left in the third quarter due to a left ankle injury and was repalced by Billy Price. Su'a-Filo didn't return. ... Bengals defensive tackle D.J. Reader was carted off late in the third quarter due to muscle cramps.
INACVTIVES: Here are the seven players that the each team placed on the inactive list 90 minutes prior to kickoff in order to get down to the 48 player game-day roster limit (teams can carry an extra player this season if it is an offensive lineman):
Bengals: CB Tory McTyer (coaches decision); RB Trayveon Williams (coaches decision); S Shawn Williams (calf); CB LeShaun Sims (coaches decision); LB Markus Bailey (coaches decision); G Shaw Calhoun (coaches decision); DT Geno Atkins (shoulder).
Chargers: WR Jason Moore; CB Tevaughn Campbell; C Mike Pouncey; G Trai Turner; T Storm Norton; TE Donald Parham, Jr.; DT Cortez Broughton.
The first stop came on the first play of the second quarter when defensive end Sam Hubbard dropped Taylor for a one-yard loss on a fourth-and-2 read option keeper from the Bengals 39. The second stop came when Taylor was stuffed for no gain sneak on a fourth-and-1 sneak from the Bengals 41.
Los Angeles closed to within 7-3 on a 24-yard field goal by Badgley with 7:13 left in the half, and the Chargers cut it to 7-6 on a 43-yard field goal by Badgley on the final play of the first half.
NOTEWORTHY: Players and coaches from both teams locked arms in solidarity at midfield as the national anthem was played and no one took a knee. ... All seven Bengals wide receivers who were active for Sunday's game played in the first quarter. ... Defensive end Carl Lawson recorded the first sack of the season late in the first quatter when he dropped Taylor for a one-yard loss. ... Bynes was also credited with a sack in the third quarter for no yards lost. ... Starting right guard Xavier Su'a Filo left the game with 4:50 left in the third quarter due to a left ankle injury and was repalced by Billy Price. Su'a-Filo didn't return. ... Bengals defensive tackle D.J. Reader was carted off late in the third quarter due to muscle cramps.
INACVTIVES: Here are the seven players that the each team placed on the inactive list 90 minutes prior to kickoff in order to get down to the 48 player game-day roster limit (teams can carry an extra player this season if it is an offensive lineman):
Bengals: CB Tory McTyer (coaches decision); RB Trayveon Williams (coaches decision); S Shawn Williams (calf); CB LeShaun Sims (coaches decision); LB Markus Bailey (coaches decision); G Shaw Calhoun (coaches decision); DT Geno Atkins (shoulder).
Chargers: WR Jason Moore; CB Tevaughn Campbell; C Mike Pouncey; G Trai Turner; T Storm Norton; TE Donald Parham, Jr.; DT Cortez Broughton.
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