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CINCINNATI — Bengal quarterback joe burro Clarified his position on where things stand in his career after Sunday 24-0 damage to Baltimore Ravens,
In the days before the game, Burrow said that if he wanted to continue playing, he wants to have fun doing itThis led to much speculation about his status with the Bengals, the team that drafted him first overall in 2020,
Burrow firmly quashed that notion.
“My comments have nothing to do with Cincinnati,” Burrow said after the game. “My comments were related to me, my mentality and football.”
After that loss, which kept Cincinnati from missing the playoffs for the third consecutive year, Burrow was as critical of himself as he has ever been following a game, even one with poor statistical lines. He was 25 of 39 passing for 225 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions, one of which was returned for a touchdown in the second half.
A week earlier, Burrow thought he played “pretty close to perfect” in the loss against buffalo billThat wasn’t the case Sunday against the Ravens,
“I think it’s one of the worst games I’ve played in,” Burrow said. “I’m honest with myself and my game, and I hold myself to a high standard, and today didn’t even come close to it.”
From the start, the cold day in Cincinnati was not a pleasant one.
Burrow and the Bengals’ offense started the game with an 11-play drive that put them on the brink of the red zone. However, Baltimore was able to liberate a pass rusher through the line of scrimmage virtually untouched. Burrow scrambled, ran backwards and took a 15-yard sack that put the Bengals out of field goal range.
This was the closest Cincinnati came to scoring while the outcome of the game was still in question. On the next drive, a pass is intended for the wide receiver. jammer chase As Chase moved to the middle of the field, a touch flew high, resulting in a ball bouncing off his hand and into the arms of the Baltimore cornerback Marlon Humphrey,
For the fourth time this season, the Bengals did not score a touchdown in the first three quarters. And by the start of the fourth quarter, many fans who faced 10-degree temperatures at kickoff with a wind chill of minus-1 had left their snow-dusted seats for warmer accommodations.
As the team’s offensive playcaller, Bengals coach Zac Taylor took the brunt of the blame for the team’s first home shutout since 2017. But Taylor said everyone who committed the crime also took responsibility for the defeat.
The borough wanted to afford as much as it could.
Burrow said, “Bad football teams lose, and if you want to compete for championships and be in the playoffs, No. 1, your quarterback is going to have to play better than me.”
Later in the locker room, Burrow’s teammates felt he was being too hard on himself.
“He is our engine, our source of energy,” Left said. orlando brown jrSaid, “He’s the face of our organization, man, And it’s tough because the reality is, it’s not all just on him, There’s a lot of things that go into not being able to score a point on Sunday, And so, I appreciate him and respect him for being the leader he is,”
Sunday’s loss also confirmed a harsh reality for Cincinnati. The Week 15 loss knocks the Bengals out of playoff contention since 2020, when they were eliminated after Week 10. A week later, Burrow suffered an ACL injury in his left knee, ending his rookie season.
Burrow and the Bengals returned with a Super Bowl run during the 2021 postseason and a return trip to the AFC Championship Game during the 2022 playoffs.
Cincinnati has since been unable to regain its status as a title contender, and Burrow has also suffered significant injuries: a torn wrist ligament that ended his year in 2023, and a turf toe injury suffered during Week 2 of this season that caused him to miss nine games.
Burrow believes Sunday’s performance was exceptional and not one that was indicative of the player who finished last season as an MVP finalist and was a two-time Pro Bowl selection.
“He just loves the game,” Chase said. “He just wants to be great at the end of the day. I can respect that. But like he told me, I’m not going to let him beat himself up mentally just by having one game where he played poorly.”
