Joe Burrow pushes back on specific Bengals narrative
Nearly two years ago, the NFL realized the Cincinnati Bengals were "for real" after their 19-16 road win against the Tennessee Titans in the divisional round of the playoffs. Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow took a beating that night — he was sacked nine times — but he did enough (348 passing yards) to leave Nashville […]
Nearly two years ago, the NFL realized the Cincinnati Bengals were "for real" after their 19-16 road win against the Tennessee Titans in the divisional round of the playoffs.
Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow took a beating that night — he was sacked nine times — but he did enough (348 passing yards) to leave Nashville with a win.
The narrative since that game has been that the win against the Titans was a turning point for Cincinnati as a franchise.
Many around the NFL felt like that Bengals' reputation changed that night. And maybe it did. But that's not how Burrow views that win against the Titans.
On Wednesday, while meeting with reporters ahead of Cincinnati's game against the Titans this weekend, Burrow was asked about the playoff win against Tennessee being considered a "turning point" for the Bengals.
"I wouldn't call that a turning point," said Burrow. "It was a big win for us. But I would say we expected to go in there and win. It was a big win for the franchise, a big win for our team, a confidence booster going into the next game. But we expected to win. I have all the confidence in the world in ourselves and still do. It was a fun night, that's for sure. That's what I'll remember."
The Bengals went on to beat the Kansas City Chiefs on the road (in overtime) the next week to earn a trip to Super Bowl LVI. Cincinnati, however, would lose to the Los Angeles Rams, coming up three points short of winning their first Super Bowl.
While the loss stung, it was clear that the Burrow-led Bengals had arrived.
But it's no surprise that Burrow doesn't agree with that narrative. He entered the NFL as a rookie expecting to win and play in big games. It didn't matter to him that Cincinnati hadn't had much post-season success prior to his arrival.
The narrative, though, isn't necessarily inaccurate. Nationally, that win against the Titans was a turning point when it comes to how the Bengals are perceived.
But for Burrow, it was just a game the Bengals had to find a way to win. And they did.
That's what it's always been about for Burrow. It's not the narratives or the storylines, even though he'll talk some trash from time to time, it's ultimately all about going 1-0 each week, as cheesy and cliché as that sounds.
Joe Burrow appeared to use one of his favorite ‘tricks’ on one of the Bengals’ most important plays against the Rams
Cincinnati QB Joe Burrow appeared to use one of his favorite ‘tricks’ on one of the Bengals’ most important plays against the Rams
