After leading the Cincinnati Bengals to the Super Bowl last season, quarterback Joe Burrow has the team back in the postseason, ready to defend its AFC crown.
After back-to-back playoff berths only three seasons into his NFL career, reporters questioned Burrow about the length of the Bengals’ Super Bowl window. Burrow’s response was oozing with swag.
“The window is my whole career,” Burrow said. “And everybody that we have in that locker room, all the coaches that we have – things are going to change year to year – but our window is always open.”
Burrow has an awful lot of confidence, and why wouldn’t he? This season, he helped the Bengals finish with the third-best record in the AFC (12-4) and a second straight division title.
The 26-year-old ranked second in the NFL in touchdown passes with 34, ending the year behind only Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (41). He also finished third in yards per game (284), fifth in total passing yards (4,475), and sixth in the NFL in passer rating (102.3).
Burrow has been a leader during a tough week for the Bengals following safety Damar Hamlin’s terrifying cardiac incident last Monday night. He and the rest of the Bengals’ captains helped solidify the decision not to continue the game in light of the circumstances.
Defensive tackle D.J. Readers applauded Burrow’s actions in the wake of a terrible situation to NFL.com’s Nick Shook.
“[Burrow] especially did a great job of, you know, leading a charge for us, going over there and talking to their captains and just as a team, coming up and just telling each other we loved each other,” Reader said. “It’s such a macho sport and things like that, you don’t say it to your brother as often as you should.”
Burrow and the Bengals will host the division-rival Baltimore Ravens next week in the AFC wild-card round.
