Joe Burrow’s honest admission following close win over Browns is reminder of how much difference a year can make
Burrow and the Bengals stole a game they couldn’t last year.
The goal for quarterback Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals was to be 1-0 on Monday morning. Beating the Cleveland Browns by a single point, 17-16, accomplished that goal, no matter how ugly the game looked at times.
Winning despite the imperfections of seven second-half yards, a possession that featured three sacks on three plays, and going an entire quarter without manufacturing a first down is rare.
Some would say winning that game is the same as stealing the win itself, which is exactly what Burrow admitted after the game.
“Anytime you can win like this, you kind of steal one,” Burrow said. “So we stole one today, and we’re gonna have to be better. We didn’t win many of these games last year, and so usually when you can win a game like this, that’s a recipe for success.”
Honesty from Burrow is also backed by what happened exactly one year ago.
Bengals and Joe Burrow do what they couldn’t do in Week 1 last year
The 2024 passing leader only mustered 113 yards on 4.9 yards per attempt with a touchdown through the air on Sunday. Week 1 of that last season looked awfully similar, when he passed for 164 yards (5.7 yards per attempt) and left the field without a touchdown.
Cincinnati lost that game, 16-10, to the New England Patriots. When the playoff bracket was finalized and the Bengals were one game out of the picture, most fingers pointed to that debacle of a season-opener and how the opportunity to win ugly slipped away.
That wasn’t the case this past Sunday.
Burrow and the offense may’ve faltered hard in the second half, but scoring touchdowns on two of their first three possessions gave them more points than their previous two Week 1 games combined. It just happened to be followed by a couple of interceptions from the defense, along with a missed extra point and field goal from the Browns.
That kind of luck and timeliness didn’t exist last season. Burrow usually needed to play his best last season for the Bengals to even have a chance of winning, and even five separate games with at least 300 passing yards and three touchdowns resulted in five different losses.
To win, a divisional game nonetheless, when Burrow wasn’t on his game, is a refreshing change of pace, and the implications for later in the season can’t be ignored.
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Burrow and the Bengals are ready to take on a new season.
