Joe Burrow Clarifies Current Feedback: Not Concentrating on Bengals

CINCINNATI — Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow clarified his place on the place issues stand in his profession following Sunday’s 24-0 loss to the Baltimore Ravens.

Within the days main as much as the sport, Burrow mentioned that if he needs to maintain taking part in, he needs to have enjoyable doing it. That sparked appreciable hypothesis about his standing with the Bengals, the workforce that drafted him first total in 2020.

Burrow firmly squashed that notion.

“My feedback had nothing to do with Cincinnati,” Burrow mentioned after the sport. “My feedback had every little thing to do with me and my mindset and soccer.”

After the loss that sealed Cincinnati’s third straight 12 months with out a playoff berth, Burrow was as crucial of himself as he ever has been following a recreation, even these with worse statistical strains. He was 25-of-39 passing for 225 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions, together with one which was returned for a landing within the second half.

One week in the past, Burrow thought he performed “fairly near excellent” in a defeat in opposition to the Buffalo Payments. That was not the case Sunday in opposition to the Ravens.

“I believe this is among the worst video games that I’ve performed,” Burrow mentioned. “I am sincere with myself and my play, and I maintain myself to excessive customary, and right this moment did not come shut.”

From the outset, the frigid day in Cincinnati didn’t form as much as be a pleasing one.

Burrow and the Bengals’ offense began the sport with an 11-play drive that put them on the verge of the purple zone. Nevertheless, Baltimore was capable of get a cross rusher free via the road of scrimmage nearly untouched. Burrow scrambled, ran backward and took a 15-yard sack that knocked the Bengals out of subject purpose vary.

That was the closest Cincinnati bought to scoring whereas the sport’s end result was nonetheless in query. On the following drive, a cross meant for large receiver Ja’Marr Chase sailed a contact excessive as Chase streaked throughout the center of the sphere, leading to a ball that bounced off his fingers and into the arms of Baltimore cornerback Marlon Humphrey.

For the fourth time this season, the Bengals didn’t rating a landing within the first three quarters. And by the beginning of the fourth quarter, most of the followers who braved the 10-degree temperature at kickoff with a wind chill of minus-1 had left their snow-dusted seats for hotter lodging.

Because the workforce’s offensive playcaller, Bengals coach Zac Taylor took the brunt of the blame for the workforce’s first dwelling shutout since 2017. However Taylor added that everybody on the offense additionally carried accountability for the defeat.

Burrow needed to shoulder as a lot of that as he might.

“Dangerous soccer groups do shedding issues, and for those who’re eager to compete for championships and be within the playoffs, then No. 1, your quarterback has to play higher than I did right this moment,” Burrow mentioned.

Afterward within the locker room, Burrow’s teammates felt he was being too laborious on himself.

“He’s our engine, our supply of power,” left sort out Orlando Brown Jr. mentioned. “He is the face of our group, man. And it is powerful as a result of actuality is, it is not simply all on him. A number of issues go into not with the ability to rating some extent on a Sunday. And so, I commend him and respect the f— out of him for being the chief that he’s.”

Sunday’s defeat additionally confirmed a harsh actuality for Cincinnati. The Week 15 loss marked the earliest the Bengals have been eradicated from playoff rivalry since 2020, once they had been eradicated after Week 10. One week later, Burrow suffered an ACL harm in his left knee that ended his rookie season.

Burrow and the Bengals bounced again with a Tremendous Bowl run throughout the 2021 postseason and a return journey to the AFC Championship Sport throughout the 2022 playoffs.

Cincinnati has been unable to regain its standing as a title contender since then, and Burrow has suffered key accidents as effectively: a torn wrist ligament in 2023 that ended his 12 months, and a turf toe harm suffered throughout Week 2 of this season that triggered him to overlook 9 video games.

Burrow believed Sunday’s efficiency was an outlier and never one that’s indicative of a participant who completed final season as an MVP finalist and has been a two-time Professional Bowl choice.

“He simply loves the sport,” Chase mentioned. “He simply needs to be nice on the finish of the day. I can respect from him. However like he advised me, I am not going to let him kill himself mentally by only one recreation he performed unhealthy in.”