'We Thrive In These Moments' - Cincinnati Bengals Quarterback Joe Burrow Locked In for AFC North Game

Jay Morrison | 2 Hours Ago

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow (9) looks to take the field before the NFL game against the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C., on Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024. / Albert Cesare/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

CINCINNATI – It didn’t take long to see Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow was in a different mindset today.

Burrow came into his weekly news conference locked in with no interest in pleasantries or small.

“Happy Wednesday,” a reporter said to Burrow as he settled in front of the microphone.

“I suppose,” Burrow said.

When the questions turned toward Sunday’s AFC North Division game against the Baltimore Ravens, Burrow’s answers were dripping with intensity.

How important is it to start fast against a Baltimore team known for limiting possessions?

“Paramount,” he said. “You have to, otherwise they're just gonna eat the clock up run the ball. You know how well they run it.”

The Ravens are one of seven teams since the 1970 NFL merger - and one of two this century - to average more than 220 rushing yards through the first 4 games of a season.

Their 6.38 yards per carry are 3rd most since the merger. pic.twitter.com/eBGOYULUEJ

— Jay Morrison (@ByJayMorrison) October 2, 2024

What have you learned from playing them over the years?

“Gotta be aggressive out the gate. Can't let the game come to you because your possessions are gonna be so limited,” he said. “I'm gonna have to play damn near perfect. That's how I'm preparing.”

Why are you so intense today?

“It's a big game,” Burrow said. “We know what our record is. We know the opportunities we have going forward. It's our first divisional opponent. We’re 1-3. We need to get this one. It's a big game for the Bengals.”

Burrow knows he has to do the news conferences every Wednesday, and a lot of the time he seems relaxed and interested in the questions he’s fielding.

Today, his answers got shorter and shorter the longer the news conference went. It was though he couldn’t wait to get back in front of his iPad to dial in even more on a game that is every bit the must-win that last week’s contest at Carolina was when the team was 0-3.

The Bengals went 0-5 in AFC North games that mattered last year, winning only the Week 18 finale against the Cleveland Browns backups.

A loss Sunday would mark their sixth consecutive meaningful division loss and drop them to 1-4.

Mathematically, the difference between 2-3 and 1-4 is one game.

Realistically, it’s a colossal chasm.

Burrow knows it. And he isn’t running from it.

“Whenever you play a divisional opponent, the intensity level raises a little bit,” Burrow said. “You know those games count more toward the standings, so big game.”

The circumstances are a big reason for the intensity.

But so is confidence.

“We're rolling on offense right now,” Burrow said. “We've still left some points out there, which when you score 33, 34 back to back and you feel like you've left points on the board, that's a good spot to be as an offense.

“We're gonna continue to chase perfection, try to score on every drive,” Burrow said. “It's a big opportunity. We thrive in these moments.”