What the Ravens are saying about Joe Burrow ahead of week five

Ahead of a week five divisional matchup, the Baltimore Ravens have made it known what they think about Bengals’ rookie quarterback Joe Burrow.

The bitter AFC North clash between the Cincinnati Bengals and Baltimore Ravens is set to look quite different this year than it has in recent history. Gone is Andy Dalton and a number of other players who had pretty good success against John Harbaugh’s squad.

Filling in their place is an exciting rookie class, a number of free-agent additions, and of course, Joe Burrow. Press conferences in Baltimore unsurprisngly turned to the new man under center for Cincinnati on a number of occassions.

As has been the case all year, opposing teams haven’t been shy about expressing their opinions on Burrow. The Ravens are no exception. When asked about the quarterback he’s expected to dual against for the next ten years, Lamar Jackson had an expected response,

"“I like his game. I see he’s broken records for passing yards in consecutive weeks. That’s pretty dope. But I don’t wish him success against us. I do want to win this game.”"

Based on his comments, the reigning league MVP has clearly had an eye on the quarterback he’ll battle for the division. That should come as no surprise, given the performances Burrow has pieced together so far.

Joe Burrow’s old teammate turns into a foe

LSU was able to secure a national championship, thanks to leadership of Joe Burrow on the offensive side of the ball, and phenomenal play from Patrick Queen on the defensive side of things. Now, the two standouts go from teammates to rivals in the professional ranks.

In a press conference this week, Queen let reporters in on the dynamic between he and Burrow,

"“It was a crazy relationship between us. As word got out, some things got heated sometimes and that’s just the competitor in the both of us. We’re still good friends to this day. Joe’s a great guy, great competitor. Day one when he came in, went to work against all of us. Looking forward to this rematch.”"

Speaking of the intensity Queen mentions, the two reportedly got in each other’s faces on occasion during their collegiate days. If they were fighting as teammates, there’s no telling what they’ll do as opponents.

Baltimore coaches have high praise for Joe Burrow

Baltimore’s man at the helm, John Harbaugh, had plenty of nice things to say about Burrow. Although he’s a rookie, just a quarter of the way through his first year, it’s clear he’s earned Harbaugh’s respect,

"“He [Burrow] looks good… He’s been very effective… 300 passing yard games, three of those in a row. That’s pretty remarkable, to say the least. We just have a lot of respect for him.”"

The praise from Baltimore coaches didn’t stop there. The Raven’s defensive coordinator, Don Martindale, had this to say about Burrow,

"“He’s the first pick of the draft, and he’s playing that way. He’s making all the right reads. You can tell he’s coached well, and he’s doing some things that, normally, guys don’t do … He’s doing a nice job of running that offense…”"

It’s clear Burrow has garnered plenty of attention in Baltimore. It’ll be all eyes on him as the football landscape looks to see what he can do in Sunday’s matchup, a contest where the Bengals enter as heavy underdogs.