Joe Burrow has been one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL this season.
The Cincinnati Bengals superstar has thrown for over 3,300 yards and 30 touchdowns with five weeks remaining to add to his stats.
He added 30 yards and three scores to his stat sheet against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday afternoon, but slumped to a 44-38 defeat.
The shootout heartbreak has been a familiar story for the Bengals, who boast a purring offense and a defense that is often left chasing their tails.
Burrow does not deserve to be 4-8 with almost zero chance of making the playoffs.
But that is exactly where he finds himself and a return to the Super Bowl looks some way off for Joey Ice, who currently leads the NFL in passing touchdowns.
Ironically, Sunday’s defeat means he is now on course to take an unwanted crown from opponent Russell Wilson.
The Steelers quarterback was the last man to pace the league in passing touchdowns and end up out of the postseason.
In 2017, the then-Seattle Seahawk had 36 scores but was let down at key moments by his teammates, finishing 9-7.
Wilson finished with 414 yards and three touchdowns – the Steelers had not scored 40-plus points since 2018.
It is not only Burrow who is being denied a chance to show off his elite talents in the postseason.
Ja’Marr Chase‘s second-quarter score was his 13th of the season – a league-high.
3
He is just four behind Carl Pickens’ franchise record from the 1995 campaign – a 7-9 flop.
Per Dan Hoard, Tom Brady had four career losses when his team scored 33 points.
Burrow has four this season.
And to add injury to insult, he revealed after the Pittsburgh game that he was playing injured.
Burrow was seen limping after the loss and said he suffered a gash from a cleat on the first play.
“It’s always tough to tell right after the game. We’ll know more on Tuesday,” he said on how he felt.
Whether it is delaying Chase’s contract extension, not tying down Tee Higgins, or failing to provide their franchise QB a solid supporting cast, the Bengals front office has been unpopular for months.
And fans took to social media to vent their frustration after seeing their playoff hopes slip away.
“The Bengals just wasted an MVP level season from Joe Burrow to the point that it is over with 5 games left. Once again, actually pretty impressive when you think about it,” posted one on X
“The Bengals franchise is a total joke and you can 100% blame the front office. Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase play the best of their careers and won’t make the playoffs. Super Bowl window is closed. Tee Higgins is gone. Defense is awful. Bengals ownership owes every fan an apology,” added another.
“Man they weren’t kidding. This Joe Burrow season is the best ‘not his fault’ season across all sports in history,” a third wrote.
On the other sideline, Wilson is starting to come alive with the 9-3 Steelers.
3
Mike Tomlin knew a Super Bowl-level quarterback was the missing piece and got his man over the offseason.
Some 11 years after his first – and so far only – Vince Lombardi Trophy, Wilson is showing Burrow exactly what he’s missing.
