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Ben Baby, ESPN writer
CINCINNATI — Joe Burrow didn’t notice, but it seems many who watched Sunday’s game against the Las Vegas Raiders did.
During the Cincinnati Bengals’ 41-24 victory over Las Vegas, Burrow was seen on broadcast cameras frowning and looking generally upset despite the positive performance. The Bengals won their first home game of the season after losing their first four, and Burrow became the first player this season to throw five or more touchdowns in multiple games.
After the game, Burrow said that unless the team achieved perfection, there wasn’t much to be happy about. Two days later, Burrow said he didn’t see all the chatter on social media about his character and said his behavior could be better at times.
But he noted that nonverbal expressions are part of his growth as a leader.
“Maybe I couldn’t have let my emotions show as much, but it’s also something I’ve tried to do more of and I know people in the locker room wanted me to do a little more, whether it was good or bad,” Burrow. saying. “But I can’t show my emotions in a positive way and then when things don’t go well, don’t let it be known too.”
The franchise quarterback who is in the midst of his best season said it was an honest description of his feelings at the moment as the Bengals (4-5) continue to try to dig themselves out of an early hole. Cincinnati began the season with three straight losses, its worst start since the Bengals selected Burrow with the No. 1 pick in 2020.
On Tuesday, two days before the Bengals face the Baltimore Ravens (6-3) in a primetime AFC North showdown, Burrow said his comfort level with being more demonstrative this season has been a process of adjustment. give and take.
“I know people feed off my emotions in a positive way,” Burrow said. “It’s tough for me as a quarterback. I play better when… I’m not up and down and angry and then happy and all that.”
“Maybe I couldn’t have let my emotions show as much, but it’s also something I’ve tried to do more, and I know the people in the locker room wanted me to do a little more, whether good or bad. But I can’t show my emotions. emotions in a positive way and then, when things don’t go well, don’t let it be known too.
joe burrow
Burrow enters Thursday’s game second in Total QBR with a career-high 76.3. He trails only Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson (77.3), according to ESPN Research.
Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase, who ranks second in the league in receiving yards, said Burrow’s leadership approach is necessary given the Bengals’ need for a near-perfect second half of the season. to confidently earn a spot in the playoffs.
“But it’s always been him,” Chase said. “He’s always been that kind of guy who holds himself to a standard. Now he does it more vocally.”
The Ravens, AFC North champions last season, look to sweep the Bengals in this season’s series. Cincinnati won the division in 2021 and 2022 and reached the Super Bowl and AFC Championship Game in each of those respective seasons.
Last season’s title hopes were derailed when Burrow suffered a season-ending wrist injury against Baltimore in Week 11, which was also a Thursday night game. Burrow joked that the league likes to put a star player back in a similar position a year after suffering a serious injury, citing New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers opening the year on “Monday Night Football” after suffering an Achilles tendon injury in prime time. from Week 1 of the previous year.
But for Burrow, any additional meaning comes simply from the team on the schedule.
“Divisional opponents always mean a lot,” Burrow said. “Especially where we are now, [the] “At this time of year, playing Baltimore is a great game.”
