Joe Burrow has led the Cincinnati Bengals to a second straight AFC North title and that's very impressive considering where this team was at when he arrived in 2020 as the first overall pick.
Burrow has the Bengals in the playoffs for the second straight year and they're the 3 seed on the AFC side of things. The 3 seed was clinched by the team after the Chiefs and Bills both won their games and the Wild Card round will be a rematch of Week 18, as the Ravens come to town once again.
Speaking of the Ravens, Burrow won his third game against Baltimore with a 27-16 victory. Let's give Joey B a grade for his Week 18 efforts.
What grade does Joe Burrow deserve in Week 18?
Burrow completed 25-of-42 passes for 215 yards and a touchdown while getting sacked twice. He also rushed for 10 yards off of three carries. The numbers aren't overwhelming and the offense definitely struggled in the second half but we can potentially chalk that up to the team not wanting to reveal too much of their playbook ahead of this week's Wild Card showdown.
It is worth noting though that Joey Franchise didn't look as crisp as he normally does. He missed some throws that we all know he wished he had back after the fact.
Burrow himself didn't like the way he played and said as much following the game. He even vowed that he once miss the throws that he did in this game.
Joe Burrow: "I did not like the way I played. I missed throws I usually make. I won't miss them again."
— Charlie Goldsmith (@CharlieG__) January 8, 2023
With Burrow himself not being comfortable with the way he played and the rustiness the former No .1 overall pick showed in the second half, I'm giving him a C+ for this performance. He did enough to get the Bengals a big lead and didn't throw any interceptions. The fumble shouldn't have counted so I won't hold that against him but overall, Burrow needs to be better.
So, for the season finale, Joe Burrow gets a C+ from me. What grade are you giving him for his efforts in Week 18?