Joe Burrow gave his rookie wide receiver arguably the best birthday present of his life.
Moments after Burrow hit rookie wideout Andrei Iosivas for a three-yard touchdown that upped Cincinnati's lead to 14-7 over the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday afternoon, the Bengals' star quarterback made sure to get to the official to get the game ball for Iosivas, as it was the first touchdown reception of his career.
First NFL TD on your birthday? Doesn't get better than that ? @AndreiIosivas#SEAvsCIN | ? CBS pic.twitter.com/a3JzzNXMeN
— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) October 15, 2023
Through the first half of Sunday's game against the Seahawks, Burrow was in the midst of one of his strongest performances of the young season, completing 18-of-22 passes for 143 yards with a pair of touchdowns.
In a crowded receiving corps, led by Ja'Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, and Tyler Boyd, it would be easy for Iosivas to get buried on the depth chart. But, the former sixth-round pick out of Princeton has now caught two passes for 12 yards and a touchdown through his first two appearances.
Iosivas made his NFL debut last Sunday afternoon, catching one pass for nine yards, in the Bengals' 34-20 victory over the Arizona Cardinals.
Prior to being chosen by the Bengals this past spring, Iosivas caught 125 passes for 1,909 yards with 16 touchdowns in 29 collegiate contests.
The Bengals are looking to keep pace in the AFC North race, entering Sunday at 2-3, 1.5 games back of the division-leading Baltimore Ravens. Cincinnati struggled to open the 2023 campaign, as Burrow recovered from the lingering effects of a calf injury suffered back in July, during training camp.
