Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow is a man of few words, but when he does speak, he doesn't mince them. Case in point: Publicly stating this offseason is "as big as it gets" in Cincinnati.
But Burrow doesn't often chime in on the record on his own volition. Obligatory press conferences, the occasional sit-down interview, and the even more occasional podcast appearance. Other than that? Don't hear much from him nowadays, although he did do the Netflix Quarterback show.
Anyway, saying all that to say, Joe Brrr hadn't X posted/tweeted in quite a while until the Divisional Round of the NFL playoffs that he should be playing in triggered him.
Bengals QB Joe Burrow defends NFL refs for catch rule controversies in Divisional Round playoffs
When Buffalo Bills superstar QB Josh Allen committed the last of his four turnovers in his team's 33-30 overtime loss to the Broncos in Denver, it was mired in controversy.
Bills wide receiver Brandin Cooks appeared to catch the ball, only to have Broncos defensive back Ja'Quan McMillan rip it away for an interception.
JA'QUAN MCMILLIAN COMES DOWN WITH AN INTERCEPTION https://t.co/NqQXnzzwSM pic.twitter.com/s9qWUxYhZc
— Arye Pulli (@AryePulliNFL) January 18, 2026
The officiating crew reviewed the play, confirmed the catch, and the Broncos proceeded to drive for a game-winning field goal. This sequence ultimately cost Buffalo coach Sean McDermott his job.
Another close-call catch came when Rams receiver Davante Adams snagged a perfect pass from Matthew Stafford on Los Angeles' decisive overtime field goal drive in Chicago. That wasn't as polarizing as the Cooks-McMillan contested catch.
Burrow didn't see where the confusion was, or why some folks were so irate over those two calls, which he both believed were correct.
The amount of ppl that don’t understand what a catch is in the rule book flabbergasts me. And it’s not the officials. The two plays yesterday were not difficult calls, and they got them both right.
— Joey Burrow (@JoeyB) January 19, 2026
Full disclosure: Maybe there was another catch I missed, but Davante's reception was smooth, and from my understanding, Cooks did not "survive the ground" with full possession of the ball. Sorry to break it to Bills Mafia, but that wasn't a catch.
I can't even fathom what the general public would do if Joe Shiesty coughed up four turnovers in one playoff game like Allen did, or like the Texans' C.J. Stroud did in one half at New England. This was a dreadful last weekend of AFC quarterbacking, which makes it all the more shameful that Cincinnati didn't do enough for Burrow to keep him healthy and return him to the postseason.
Witnessing the poor standard at the most exciting position in sports had my blood boiling by Sunday. Evidently, Joe got a little restless sitting at home this time of year for the third straight season.
No time like the present for the Bengals to, you know, do something about this "as big as it gets" offseason.