4 realistic goals for Joe Burrow in 2022

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow is coming off an impressive 2021 campaign where he threw for 34 touchdowns, 14 interceptions, 4,611 yards, had a 70.8% completion percentage, and a 108.3 QB rating as one of the best in the entire league.

Burrow was coming off a Torn ACL and other injuries within the same knee and didn’t miss a single game until the season’s final week when the team held him and other starters out for precautionary reasons. The quarterback was a warrior all season and got sacked more than any other QB in the league (70 times *including playoffs).

The Bengals drastically improved their offensive line on paper this off-season; now, everyone needs to see it translate to the field. Burrow won the Comeback Player of the Year award at the NFL Honors before the Super Bowl, which he led the squad to.

As a result, the Bengals won their first playoff game in over 30 years and punched a ticket to their third Super Bowl appearance in their franchise history.

That did result in a very close loss, but the upside of this team and the young emerging Joe Burrow proves that the sky is the limit for this team and quarterback. Here are four realistic goals that the 25-year-old can achieve in 2022.

All stats courtesy of Pro Football Reference

Avoid the constant unnecessary hits by trying to create a play. 

As mentioned above, Joe Burrow is a playmaker, which is what many love about him and his game. The guy doesn’t know when to quit, but sometimes quitting on a play is the right decision. Burrow got sacked 70 times last season for a reason.

Yes, the offensive line was not great by any means, but all those sacks weren’t because the offensive line didn’t block or hold up on their end. At times the secondary will have the receivers on lock, and Burrow needs to realize that maybe a play won’t develop. He took constant hits because of that scenario happening countless times.

He is the franchise QB, and the Bengals don’t need him being put to the turf because he wants to make a big play every time he drops back. He has found ways to make plays based on doing that on multiple occasions. Sometimes it does work, but in early season games, on early downs, it just doesn’t seem plausible, especially if he wants his health to be as good as it possibly can by the end of the season going into the postseason.

With a much improved offensive line, Burrow should have more time in the pocket to surveil the field and make more precise and analytical decisions with the football. But until we see the line produce on the field, the question marks will still be raised.