Joe Burrow: I Have to ‘Play to the Absolute Peak of My Ability’ for Bengals to Win

Taylyn HadleyDecember 2, 2024

Dylan Buell/Getty Images

Following the Cincinnati Bengals’ 44-38 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday, quarterback Joe Burrow admitted feeling the pressure that comes with his role.

“I feel the pressure on me to be great,” Burrow told reporters after the game. “That’s part of playing quarterback in the NFL. I just have to play to the absolute peak of my ability every week for us to go and win. Some games I’ve done that. Some games I haven’t.”

Cincinnati Bengals @BengalsLil’ jump ball.@JoeyB ➡️ @Real10jayy__ #RuleTheJungle x #PITvsCIN on CBS pic.twitter.com/m0sMGpYTEi

During Sunday’s game against the Steelers, Burrow completed 28-of-38 passes for 309 yards, three touchdowns, one interception and lost two fumbles in the defeat.

The Bengals fell to 4-8 on the season but have a lighter schedule ahead, providing an opportunity to secure more wins as they aim for a postseason berth.

However, Burrow’s focus is not on the playoffs at the moment.

“Playoffs, I mean, furthest thing from my mind,” Burrow said bluntly, per NFL.com’s Eric Edholm.

To add to the sting of the loss, the Bengals have now dropped four or more games this season despite scoring at least 33 points, making them the first team in NFL history to accomplish this dubious feat, according to ESPN’s Ben Baby.

MLFootball @_MLFootballINSANE: THE #BENGALS HAVE LOST 4 GAMES THIS SEASON WHEN THEY SCORED 30+ POINTS… and 6 games of 25+ points.

• 25 POINTS… LOST
• 33 POINTS… LOST
• 38 POINTS… LOST
• 34 POINTS… LOST
• 27 POINTS… LOST
• 38 POINTS… LOST

PATHETIC. JOE BURROW NEEDS A REAL DEFENSE. pic.twitter.com/wSBZy2qMHY

The Bengals have no trouble scoring, but they need to make significant improvements on defense if they want to start doing “enough to win.”

“Not enough to win. Not enough to win,” Burrow said, per Edholm. “Some good, some bad, just like every week. But not enough to win.”

Hater Report @HaterReport_Joe Burrow watching his defense lose the game every week after he throws for 350+ Yards and 3+ Touchdowns

pic.twitter.com/a2BeNOasFL

With five games left in the season, Burrow believes the atmosphere in the locker room will reveal a lot about the team’s mindset.

“I think we’ll learn a lot about who we have in the locker room — the guys we can count on going forward and guys that we can’t,” Burrow told reporters.

The Bengals will aim to snap their three-game losing streak when they face the Dallas Cowboys on the road next Monday.