Joe Burrow matches a Tom Brady stat that should make the Bengals feel embarrassed
If any more pressure is added on to Joe Burrow's shoulders, he'll find himself collapsing to the ground.The Cincinnati Bengals are now 4-8 on the year with their chances of cracking the postseason virtually nonexistent. A third consecutive loss was bestowed by the Pittsburgh Steelers thanks to 520 total yards and 37 points scored by […]
If any more pressure is added on to Joe Burrow's shoulders, he'll find himself collapsing to the ground.
The Cincinnati Bengals are now 4-8 on the year with their chances of cracking the postseason virtually nonexistent. A third consecutive loss was bestowed by the Pittsburgh Steelers thanks to 520 total yards and 37 points scored by its offense. The 31 points Burrow helped create weren't enough in yet another shootout loss.
It's become a theme so depressingly familiar this season that we now have historically insane context for it, and it involves the NFL's G.O.A.T.
Joe Burrow matches Tom Brady's misfortune in record time
The Bengals officially posted 38 points on Sunday thanks to four offensive touchdowns, a field goal, and a pick-six from the defense's very first drive of the day. That would be all the defense could hang its hat on, however, as the aforementioned 37 points allowed plus a Burrow fumble that went the other way for an additional seven points would lead to another defeat.
Of the Bengals' eight losses this season, they've scored at least 33 points in four of them. Burrow will be credited with all four of those defeats, and it's somehow the same number of losses future Hall of Fame quarterback Tom Brady suffered despite his team putting up at least 33 points on the scoreboard.
Astonishing doesn't even cut it. Brady played for 23 years and started for 21 of them. He led numerous high-scoring offensive units. He only lost four such games in a career that lasted a generation.
The Bengals have given Burrow the same number of Ls in 12 GAMES. And if you're wondering if that's a record, it is!
Per Dallas Cowboys reporter Bobby Belt, Cincinnati passed three other teams including the 2017 Houston Texans for the most losses despite that scoring output in a single season. There are also five games left to be played, by the way.
It goes without saying, but the Bengals cannot accept this and should be utterly ashamed it's gotten to this point. Burrow is just about the one good thing the franchise has in place for years to come, and he's been let down an egregious amount of weeks this season. But if they're looking for him to talk down to the defense in public, that's not going to happen.
"I do, yeah," Burrow answered when asked if he still has faith in the defense. "I know the work those guys put in. They work really hard all week to to go and put their best foot forward."
Their hard work has translated to allowing a little over 28 points per game. Even in the fairytale that has the Bengals somehow sneaking into the playoffs, that defense is not sniffing the Super Bowl.
Three of the four high-scoring losses Cincinnati has suffered this year have come against AFC North teams. The Baltimore Ravens already beat them twice despite a combined 72 points in those games from Burrow and Co., and the Steelers were able to score at ease in their 44-38 victory.
Cincinnati is now 2-9 in AFC North play since last year, and the franchise quarterback knows what needs to happen next.
"I would say we need to change a lot of things this year," Burrow said. "We haven't been good enough. We haven't been good enough to win games, so it starts with your division. You always want to win those and we haven't, so we've got to do better job."
Burrow may include himself in that "we," but it's a waste of energy to pick apart his imperfections when he's the biggest reason why the Bengals are even competitive in games like the one that just happened.
There's only so many ways you can say he deserves better before he starts to believe it as well.
Mike Tomlin says what every Bengals fan wholeheartedly believes about Joe Burrow this season
Tomlin didn’t hold back his praise for Cincinnati’s quarterback.
