Sunday’s loss to the Chargers was a strange one, as the Cincinnati Bengals had plenty of opportunities to climb back into that game. They weren’t able to, sadly, now sitting at 7-5 on the year. Joe Burrow did what he could to get his team the win but it wasn’t meant to be.
Burrow finished 24-of-40 for 300 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions while rushing for a touchdown as well. These numbers are even more impressive when you realize that Burrow was playing nearly the entire game with a swollen pinky finger on his throwing hand. He has assured us that he won’t miss any games with this injury. Tough as nails, man.
Let’s take a look at the best and worst from Burrow in this game.
Best from Joe Burrow
At one point in the first half, Cincinnati was trailing 24-0 and it seemed like the stripes were dead in the water. They cut the Chargers’ lead to 24-6 and then made it a closer game when Burrow took the football in himself to make it a 24-13 score.
Joe Burrow keeps it for the 6-yard touchdown. That's back-to-back weeks Burrow has run for a TD.
— Marisa Contipelli (@BengalsMarisa) December 5, 2021
Bengals clawing their way back, now trail the Chargers 24-13.
At this point, fans started to feel more confident about the Bengals potentially making a game of it. Burrow was the reason Cincinnati climbed back into things but it wasn’t all good, unfortunately.
Worst from Joe Burrow
The injury was obviously bad but we’ll stick to actual plays in the game. It’s a pretty easy decision when it comes to narrowing down Burrow’s worst play and that was the second interception he threw, which came in the fourth quarter and essentially iced the game.
Burrow and the Bengals offense had marched down the field and were looking to cut down the Bolts’ lead and maybe keep the game within reach. Unfortunately, Joey Franchise did the worst thing imaginable there, forcing the ball into tight coverage to C.J. Uzomah. The ball was picked and from then on, it was pretty obvious that Los Angeles was going to escape with an ugly win.
For nearly the entire game, Joe Burrow was making really good decisions and solid throws outside the numbers to keep the Bengals in the game.
— Charlie Goldsmith (@CharlieG__) December 5, 2021
That interception is on Burrow. He threw to CJ Uzomah, who was double covered, on an easy pick.
This throw should not have been made by Burrow and it cost him and his team a chance to complete what would have been quite the comeback. This was easily the worst for Burrow and it’s something he needs to avoid doing in the future.
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What did you continue to be the best and worst from Joe Burrow in the 41-22 loss?