On Sunday Night, the Baltimore Ravens crushed the Cincinnati Bengals on their home turf 24-0. Fans kept asking one thing: 'Does Joe Burrow no longer enjoy football?'

In the post-game conference, the quarterback said, “If I want to keep doing this, I have to have fun doing it,” resulting in confusion and mixed reactions. 

He explained that his comments were aimed at himself. “My comments had everything to do with me and my mindset and football.” Deemed his worst performance yet, Burrow completed only 25 out of 39 passes for 225 yards and threw no touchdowns.

He was intercepted twice inside the Ravens’ 30-yard line for a 58.2 passer rating. It was clear that Burrow was not targeting his team. “My comments had nothing to do with Cincinnati,” he said.

Burrow has had a difficult season. In Week 2, he suffered from a toe injury and returned to the field nine weeks later, hoping to “go have fun [and] play football.” Instead, the Bengals lost to the Buffalo Bills and the Baltimore Ravens.

To Burrow, having fun and enjoying the sport keeps him going. But two consecutive losses prompted the controversial comments.

Joe Burrows takes Accountability 

Unlike his four-touchdown Week 14 performance against the Buffalo Bills, he displayed nothing against the Ravens.

“I think this is one of the worst games that I've played,” Burrow said. “I hold myself to a high standard, and today didn't come close.” 

Taking ownership for his team’s bitter loss, he said, “If you're wanting to compete for championships and be in the playoffs, then No. 1, your quarterback has to play better than I did today.” The Bengals were eliminated from the playoff race with this match.

The Bengals will visit the Miami Dolphins for their final game.

Written by

Akanksha Biradar

Edited by

Oajaswini Prabhu