“That told me I could do what I thought going into the season,” Burrow said. “Tua was the guy for two years and to go in there and beat him, it kind of gave me a validation of what I thought about myself.”
_After the first two games his longest completion was 24 yards, Burrow made sure to go up top early and often in New York Sunday. He only came up with wide receiver Tee Higgins’ 45-yard catch, but he kept chucking deep and he feels like he should do it once a quarter.
No matter what’s going on.
“I just think we’ve got to get those guys opportunities, no matter the coverage,” Burrow said of his receivers. “They are just so good that we’ve got to find ways to get them the ball down the field, whether they’re open or not because they are going to make plays for us.”
_Burrow, long-time Cavaliers fan pumped by the trade, recently reached out to the newest Cav, Donovan Mitchell.
“I just said, ‘Welcome to Ohio. If you ever want to come to a game, let me know.’ He said the same. We’re going to stay in touch,” Burrow said. “They’ve been getting better and better every year. Obviously I grew up back in the LeBron era, so that was exciting for me, watching that. Now we get a guy like Donovan to go out and do what he’s going to do. I’m excited to watch.”
_Make no mistake. The Bengals secondary has high regard for Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill. Free safety Jessie Bates III referred to him as a generational player before Tuesday’s practice.
But he also saw Hill saying he owes Bengals cornerback Eli Apple. Presumably for Apple changing the tide of last year’s AFC title game, when he tackled Hill on the Bengals 1 as time ran out in a first half the Chiefs led, 21-10.
“If somebody comes after Eli, he comes after all of us. We’re all up for the challenge,” Bates said. “I didn’t know if Eli bought him tickets the Super Bowl or not. I think that’s probably why he’s a little upset. So we’ll see.”
_The No. 1 cornerback opposite Apple, Chidobe Awuzie, has been so good since he got here in free agency that defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo usually puts him on the team’s best receiver. But with another speedster on the other side of Hill, Jaylen Waddle, Anarumo isn’t saying where he’s putting him this week.
“Speed and his deceleration, too,” said Awuzie of Hill’s blinding speed. “His ability to go from 100 miles per hour to zero miles per hour is really good.”
