Bengals’ Joe Burrow rushes 23 yards for first career TD

CINCINNATI — Joe Burrow used his legs to score his first NFL touchdown.

The Cincinnati Bengals rookie quarterback went up the middle for a 23-yard touchdown to give the Bengals a 7-0 lead over the Los Angeles Chargers in the first quarter of Sunday’s season opener.

Burrow is the first Bengals rookie QB to rush for a TD in a season opener since Paul Robinson in 1968 against the Chargers. That was the Bengals’ first game in franchise history. Burrow becomes the third Bengals rookie QB to rush for a TD in his first game, joining Robinson and Boomer Esiason (1984).

With the Bengals using five receivers to spread out the Chargers’ defense, Burrow ran up the field and waited for a block from center Trey Hopkins to get into the end zone. According to NFL Next Gen Stats, Burrow hit a max speed of 14.87 miles per hour on the run.

Before the Bengals selected Burrow with the top overall pick in the 2020 draft, his athleticism was on full display at LSU. He rushed for 12 touchdowns in his two seasons with the Tigers.