Joe Burrow helped the Cincinnati Bengals win its first playoff game in 31 years, and he didn’t even crack a smile.
The quarterback seemed happy — or at the very least, relieved — after beating the Las Vegas Raiders 26-19 in the AFC Wild Card Round of the 2021 playoffs.
Who wouldn’t? The Bengals just ended the league’s longest playoff drought ever, and Burrow played a completely clean game against a gritty Raiders defense. The star QB threw for 244 yards and two touchdowns, and while he didn’t capitalize on a few early offensive drives, he played well enough to secure the win.
In the post-game press conference, Burrow looked more like a disgruntled B-list movie star than a history-making quarterback, though.
There has not been nearly enough discussion about Joe Burrow's glasses tonight https://t.co/ZSffEYQMjh
— Rachel Hopmayer (@rachelhopmayer) January 16, 2022
Any fan watching the game was anxiously biting their nails at the end of the fourth quarter when Derek Carr started his late drive to try to tie it up.
Cincinnati Bengals’ Joe Burrow stays cool, calm, and collected after first playoff win
Burrow, apparently, wasn’t fazed at all. In fact, he was “kind of hoping” that Carr would get a touchdown so he could be the hero and save the day for Cincy.
Joe Burrow says he was kind of hoping the Raiders would score so he could get the ball back and lead his team to the win
— Kelsey Conway (@KelseyLConway) January 16, 2022
That’s an awful lot of confidence from the second-year passer but if anyone could do it, it’s Burrow. He’s already looking ahead to the Bengals’ next playoff matchup, where Cincinnati will take on either the Bills or Patriots.
Joe Burrow, on the subdued celebration: "This is the playoffs. If you dwell on this one too much, you're going to get beat in the next round."
— Ben Baby (@Ben_Baby) January 16, 2022
It’s one thing to celebrate like you won the Super Bowl, but it’s another thing to….not celebrate at all.
Maybe a few of Joe Mixon’s famous cigars will lighten the mood. Show us your pearly whites, Joe. This is your moment. This is your year.