ARLINGTON, Texas – Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, who turns 28 on Tuesday, will reach a certain age.

Some of the guys he had on his squad Monday night here at AT&T Stadium were college students who made sure they were looking out for him whenever the Bengals were in prime time.

“I was definitely a fan of his,” rookie tight end Cam Grandy said. “The way he plays and the way he competes. Whenever the Bengals started, I would watch and just watch how powerful their offense was and the players they had on that side of the ball.”

Burrow will be happy to hear that. He wants to be a ratings bonanza.

“I want to win, but I want it to be fun to watch. I always want it to be fun to watch,” Burrow said last week. “I want people to see my mastery of offense, accuracy and playmaking ability and everything I bring to the table. But I want people to listen to the Bengals and watch us. And I think people do. I’m proud.” The fact that we’re exciting is something I’m proud of.

It wasn’t that long ago that Burrow was the kid who wanted to watch the best when it came to quarterbacks on television.

“I always wanted to see Aaron Rodgers. I always listened when he played. Tom Brady, of course. Peyton Manning. I saw Drew Brees,” Burrow said. “That caliber of player is usually the type of player that gets the most primetime games…We had (five), so that usually means people want to watch you. That’s usually a good thing.”

Burrow has appeared in a dozen primetime games in his 64-game career and is well on his way to becoming a Rodgers-Manning-Brees-Brady of his era. So much so that he averages more yards in prime time than three of the greats he’s seen.

According to Pro Football Reference, Burrow has shown flashes of glory in games he classifies as “late,” averaging 286 passing yards for 23 touchdowns, just three interceptions and a passer rating of 99.6.

In 85 late games, Brady posted a 95.0 rating and averaged 282 yards with 160 touchdowns and 61 interceptions. Rodgers has 77 late games with a passer rating of 105.0 and averages of 249 yards with 160 touchdowns and 36 interceptions. Manning had a rating of 101 and averaged 275 yards with 144 touchdowns and 56 interceptions. Brees, Burrow’s fellow New Orleans legend, beat him in all respects in his 58 prime-time games, averaging 288 yards with a 105.5 rating, 129 touchdowns and 41 interceptions.

Give Burrow the average number of primetime games of those four (72), and he’ll be right there with 138 TDs and 18 picks.

Grandy, a native of Benson, Ill., population 412, is playing in his fourth NFL game and his third in prime time as a backup, used primarily as a blocker. But it’s business as usual for an undrafted rookie as he anticipates the largest crowd he’s ever played in front of before his NFL debut last month in Baltimore on Thursday night in the final game of his college career for Illinois State in North Dakota was about 10,000. That was also the largest television audience, he estimates. ESPN Plus. ESPN is on on Monday and the only positives are Joe Buck and Troy Aikman.

“I play confidently. I study hard. “I know my job pretty well,” Grandy said. “It’s a dream come true. Football is everything I wanted to do. I didn’t have a plan B.”

You can’t make this up. Grandy’s father is from Texas, moved to his wife’s home state of Illinois, and his son grew up a Cowboys fan. He loved Jason Witten, but his eyes were always on tight ends.

“I remember watching Tyler Eifert when he played for the Bengals. Around 2016,” Grandy said.

The Bengals looked across the field Monday night and saw one of the greatest players in their history in Cowboys assistant defensive line coach Domata Peko. Most of Peko’s 11 seasons in Cincinnati, from 2006 to 2016, were as defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer’s nose tackle, where he anchored four top-ten defenses. Zimmer, now the Cowboys’ coordinator, tells him about coaching training.

“I love it. I love it. I think this is something I want to continue doing,” Peko said on the field before the game.

He just turned 40 and has a full beard with gray showing through. When asked if he could do two series, he laughed.

“As a fullback,” said Peko, who took a few snaps there.

Talk about the great thrill of a man you’ve watched play. Fellow Samoan Jay Tufele, the Bengals’ backup defensive tackle, calls Peko “The Big Uso.” Uso is the Samoan word for brother.

“I have looked up to this man since I was a little child. It would mean so much to play a great game in front of the Uso,” said Tufele, who has a text message and Instagram relationship with Peko. “He tells me to keep living the dream and representing our people and our culture.”

Tufele has been part of the practice squad off and on over the last few seasons, but has played an average of 30 snaps in the last three games with BJ Hill and Sheldon Rankins out. Hill appears to be healthier, but with Rankins out Monday with illness for the third week in a row, Tufele is expected to get back to about 30 snaps against a Dallas offense that the Bengals expect to try its 27^Th-Ranking run game healthy against the Bengals’ 31^st-Ranked run defense.

“It will be won in the trenches,” Tufele said. “We have to stop the run and let the edge runners eat.”

No matter what happens, Tufele knows he will give Peko his number 97 jersey after the game, even if the coach doesn’t have one to trade.

“I’ll just give him mine,” Tufele said.

For the first time this season, Cowboys Pro Bowl cornerbacks Trevon Diggs (knee) and DaRon Bland were active…

Wide receiver Charlie Jones (groin) missed his fourth straight game on Monday, meaning rookie wide receiver Isaiah Williams will get another chance at punt return…

Interesting move by Bengals head coach Zac Taylor when he sent Burrow and wide receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins as game captains, even though Chase and Higgins don’t have the Cs on their jerseys…,