The Cincinnati Bengals stunned the Baltimore Ravens on Thanksgiving night, giving them a thorough pounding to the tune of 32-14. It wasn’t shocking that they put up 32 in Joe Burrow‘s return, but it was surprising how the Bengals’ defense manhandled quarterback Lamar Jackson and made him look rather ordinary.
Burrow’s return happened much earlier than expected. You may have noticed that he was out almost all year with a toe injury that he suffered in a Week 2 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. Initially, it was estimated that he’d return some time in December, but he actually was close to coming back a week ago against the New England Patriots.
He didn’t; they lost. That will sting if they find themselves in a similar situation as last year (also when a loss to the Patriots cost them a playoff spot).
“The plan all along was Buffalo,” Burrow told Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer. “And then as we got closer to these games, it was feeling pretty dang good. And so then it moved up to tonight. And that would allow me to get two full weeks of practice in before this game. And those [practices] felt pretty good. And then we made the decision to think about it last week [against the Patriots]. And at the end of the day, I didn’t, but I was prepared to.”
Burrow just having fun again for the Cincinnati Bengals
Even though Burrow was healthy all last year, one could surmise that he wasn’t having a good time. They were 9-8, missed the playoffs and lost six games when scoring 25 or more points. Oh, and Burrow would have been a lock for NFL MVP if Josh Allen wasn’t doing Josh Allen things.
But, Burrow says that now he’s able to get back to having fun and just playing.
“Yeah, I’m just trying to find the fun in it again,” Burrow said. “These last three years have been pretty brutal with two injuries, and then the season we had last year. It’s been a while since I was able to have fun doing this. And so I’m just trying to find that again. And the only way I can do that is by playing. You’re not going to have any fun by watching everybody else play. That’s for sure.”
For anyone wondering just how much of a blast Burrow had last year, find one of his post-game press conferences that looked more like a hostage video than a referendum on a football game.
Maybe the Cincinnati Bengals’ defense could help?
It might not be possible for Burrow to be more depressed this year than he was last year. But, coming off an injury to a moribund team could actually lift his spirits. He’s just happy not to be injured, the team has been pretty poor all season and anything he can do with them is upside at this point.
Hey, maybe even the defense will kick in a few bucks for pizza?
“We know the guys we have in the locker room,” Burrow said after the game. “We know what we have in front of us; it’s certainly not going to be easy. But the way our defense has played the last several weeks, I think, has been extremely positive.”
But, it’s all upside so that should provide some pressure-free fun for Burrow.
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