Cincinnati Bengals QB Joe Burrow Not Concerned About Pittsburgh Steelers' Adjustments From Week 13 Game

Jay Morrison | Jan 2, 2025

Dec 1, 2024; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow (9) prepares to snap the ball against the Pittsburgh Steelers in the second half at Paycor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-Imagn Images / Katie Stratman-Imagn Images

CINCINNATI – There are a lot of things for Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow to be concerned about when it comes to playing the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Trying to figure out what the Steelers will do differently from the previous time he faced them isn’t on the list.

At least not anymore.

Burrow admitted Tuesday that he goes into every Pittsburgh game knowing the Bengals are going to have to deal with turnovers.

“We have had some success against them throwing the ball, but when you have TJ Watt and Minkah and everybody on that front, they are going to make plays, they are going to cause turnovers,” Burrow said.

“We played there in 2022, and T.J. Watt jumped up, caught my ball on a choice route and then got slammed and I threw a pick,” Burrow added. “And then another time I was throwing a curl route and somebody jumped up and tipped it at the line of scrimmage and I threw another pick. There's just nothing you can do about that. They have great players on defense that are going to make plays. You've just got to go out and make more.”

Something else Burrow has come to expect from his time playing the Steelers – and really any team – is that predicting how the defense is going to scheme against the Cincinnati offense is a fool’s errand.

“I stopped trying to think about how defenses are going to try to play us a while ago because I would find myself getting into that mindset, and you get out there and you see a bunch of stuff you hadn't seen before,” Burrow said.

“At this point in my career, I feel like I've seen enough football,” he continued. “I just read and react on the fly to whatever I'm seeing, whatever coverages are thrown at me. I'll be ready for anything.”

History shows he’s been ready – and successful.

There have been 12 times in Burrow’s career in which he’s faced a team he already played earlier in the season.

In those games, he has completed 68 percent of his passes for an average of 299 yards per game with 28 touchdowns and eight interceptions.

Nine of those 12 rematches have been against divisional opponents, while two have come in AFC Championship Games against the Chiefs and a Wildcard Round game against the Raiders.

In the first meeting against the Steelers this season, a 44-38 loss, Burrow as 28 of 38 for 309 yards with three touchdowns and one interception.

“Any time you play against a divisional opponent, it’s a big game,” Burrow said. “This one is no different. It means a lot to the city, to the organization, to the owners, coaches, players. This is a big game for our season as well.