Joe Burrow gets Zac Taylor's reaction after hard hit, sack in Bengals preseason game originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Cincinnati Bengals took home a win in their first preseason opener of the season, narrowly overcoming the Detroit Lions with a 16-14 final score.
Even though this was just a preseason game, the Bengals gave their starters a little field time. Notably, quarterback Joe Burrow took the field and played 13 snaps. Sure, it wasn't a lot, but it was something. During those snaps, he completed 5-of-6 passes for 39 yards.
The concerning thing is that Burrow was sacked once during the game and also took a hard hit.
The sack came from second-year Lions edge rusher Ahmed Hassanein. It also happened during the Bengals' opening drive of the matchup.
Zac Taylor wasn't happy about the hard hit on Joe Burrow
In the first quarter with 10:26 left on the clock, Hassanein sacked Burrow down for a nine-yard loss and backed up the offense to their own 40-yard line. That forced a punt. From a Lions standpoint, it was beautiful. For the Bengals, not so much.
Then, the hard hit on Burrow happened during a third-down passing attempt on the team's second offensive drive. Lions defensive end Eric O'Neill got past left tackle Orlando Brown Jr. and hit Burrow on the arm as he let the ball go. That resulted in an incomplete pass.
So, what did Bengals head coach think of the antics? He wasn't happy. Speaking with reporters after the game, as shared by NBC 5 Cincinnati sports director Charlie Clifford, Taylor said regarding the hits, "It's never fun. That's not what we ever want to happen."
Clifford added, "Taylor says Jalen Davis and Tecario Davis each would have played tonight had it been a real game. Being extra cautious."
The Bengals are at Paycor Stadium on Saturday, Aug. 22, for a second preseason game against the Chicago Bears.