Joe Burrow report card for Week 9 performance vs Browns

The Cincinnati Bengals were blown out by the Cleveland Browns and Joe Burrow had the worst game of the 2021 season. Things were going really well for Burrow until this game and a bad game was bound to happen for the former No. 1 overall pick.

Before we give Burrow a grade for his performance against the Browns, let’s discuss the game and how everything went down.

When Burrow and the Bengals received the ball for their first offensive series of the game, they marched down the field with ease and it felt like at least three points were imminent. That would have been a great way to start the game, storming the length of the field and coming away with points in the process.

Unfortunately, Burrow stared down Ja’Marr Chase on 3rd and Goal, which led to Denzel Ward stepping in front of the pass and taking it 99 yards to the house. Just like that, the Browns were up 7-0 and their offense hadn’t even touched the ball yet.

While the Bengals scored a touchdown on the next drive, it was all downhill from there. Burrow threw another pick in the second half that all but iced the game, as the good guys were down 31-10 at that point.

What grade should Joe Burrow receive for his Week 9 performance?

While I hate to put the loss squarely on Burrow’s shoulders, he was a big reason for why the game ended in blowout fashion. He’s now leading the league in interceptions with 11 and has thrown at least one pick in five straight games.

It’s going to be hard to win games if Burrow keeps getting picked off and we saw that play out on Sunday. His two interceptions led to 10 points for the Browns. It’s still a blowout without those interceptions but in tighter games, that could be the difference.

With all of this in mind, unfortunately, I have to give Burrow an F for his Week 9 performance. The two interceptions paired with zero touchdowns made it difficult to give the Bengals quarterback a passing grade for this week.

The good news is that this was the worst outing we’ve seen from Burrow so far and we know he can play better than this. Next up for Burrow is a matchup against the Raiders in Week 11 when the team returns off their Week 10 BYE.