NFL RedZone viewers watching the end of the late afternoon games heard host Scott Hanson gush that Joe Burrow, in his first pro football game, looked like a seasoned veteran as he led a comeback drive with the Cincinnati Bengals trailing the Los Angeles Chargers 16-13 on their final possession. Hanson wasn’t alone in noticing Burrow’s maturity.

“It’s unbelievable,” A.J. Green said of Burrow’s poise late in the game. “That guy don’t flinch. The way he handled himself on that last drive was unbelievable… We have a special one in Joe.”

Burrow did his part to keep the Bengals’ victory hopes alive. The rookie quarterback led Cincinnati into the red zone with time for multiple end zone shots. On the Bengals’ final offensive play, Burrow found Green in the end zone, but the seven-time Pro Bowl wide receiver was flagged for a push-off, negating the touchdown catch. The flag backed the Bengals up 10 yards, setting up a 31-yard field goal attempt that missed.

The Heisman Trophy winner out of LSU finished 23-of-36 passing for 193 yards and an interception along with 8 rushes for 46 yards and a touchdown.

Burrow is sure to make rookie mistakes (like his costly shovel pass interception), but he showed Sunday that Cincinnati made the right call letting him start in Week 1 without a preseason game under his belt.