CINCINNATI — Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow was somber during his news conference on Wednesday.
The star quarterback spoke for roughly 15 minutes on his 29th birthday.
“You seem frustrated,” one reporter said.
“There are just a lot of things going on right now. A lot of things going on,” Burrow responded.
Football or personal?
“All of the above.”
Naturally, Burrow’s response raised some eye brows. Couple that with his mood and body language and it’s fair to wonder what’s going through his mind ahead of Sunday’s game against the Ravens.
The Bengals are 4-9 and have just a 3% chance of making the playoffs. Burrow missed nine games due to a grade 3 turf toe injury that required surgery. He fought back to get on the field. Burrow played on Thanksgiving against the Ravens—his first game since September.
He clearly came back with a different mindset.
“If I want to keep doing this, I have to have fun doing it,” Burrow said. “I have been through a lot. If it’s not fun, then what am I doing it for? That is the mindset I am trying to bring to the table.”
Did he view football as fun before the injury?
“I wouldn’t say I viewed it that way,” Burrow said. “Reflection on a lot of things that I’ve done and been through in my career. I think I’ve been through more than most and it’s certainly not easy on the brain or the body, so just trying to have fun doing it again.”
The Bengals are 3-1 with Burrow at quarterback this season. They lost 39-34 to the Bills in Week 14. That loss ended any realistic chance of making the playoffs, even if they aren’t completely eliminated from contention.
Couple this with the comments he made after their loss to Buffalo, which included cookie references and shrugs and it’s safe to say Burrow’s perspective has changed over the past few months.
What’s Next?
Burrow missed nine games this season. The Bengals are in danger of missing the playoffs for a third-straight year.
He’s frustrated and he should be. The same thing that drove Burrow to rehab like a madman to get back this season is the same thing that’s going to fuel him this offseason.
He wants to be the best. He wants to win.
The Bengals know it. He knows it. And it’s up to everyone involved to make it happen.
