Bengals QB Joe Burrow (10.25.20)
JOE BURROW
Quarterback
How challenging is it trying to match someone was as hot as Baker Mayfield was today?
“He played unbelievable. That last drive was impressive. I thought we had him, and he was able to get the ball off and not get sacked. Hats off to him, he played great.”
What else can you do to help your team win?
“I had two turnovers. I have to stop doing that. I’ve had a turnover in three straight games. I can’t do that.”
You lost three starting offensive linemen today, but the reserves seemed to step in and play well …
“They really did. Bill (C/G Billy Price), Fred (G/OT Fred Johnson), and Hakeem (G Hakeem Adeniji) came in there and battled. I was proud of those guys for coming and playing the way they did. They played their tails off for us and stepped up when their number was called.”
Your two biggest passing games this year have come against the Browns. What have you been doing to be so successful against them?
“It doesn’t matter to me. Football is about letters, not numbers — W and L. We took an L today.”
On the fourth and one at the end of the game, can you walk us through that TD pass to Giovani Bernard?
“We had two plays called. It was either a sneak or that one. They didn’t give us a look we wanted with the sneak — (they were) packing it in there. Gio did a great job with his motion getting himself open.”
Did the Browns defense do anything differently this second time around?
“They blitzed a little more than they did at the beginning of the game. We were kind of gashing them with the check downs, so they got away from that toward the end of the game.”
How hard is it to stick together during this 1-5-1 start?
“We have a bunch of great guys in the locker room. And a great coaching staff. Zac (Bengals head coach Zac Taylor) is going to get us to where we want to go. I know everyone is down in the dumps right now. The fan base is frustrated, just as we are. We’re 1-5-1, but we have a great guy at the helm in Zac, who called a great game today. He’s going to keep us together. He’s the leader of the team, the leader of the organization.”
It seemed like you were having a lot of success on screens today …
“Yes. That’s what was gashing them when they were blitzing. We called screens, and got them in blitzes a lot, so that got them away from the blitzing. That was a good part of the game plan today.”
On the incomplete pass to A.J. Green in the end zone, it looked like you weren’t even looking. You dropped the snap and then got the pass off quickly. It looked like you knew right where you were going …
“I was going to A.J. the whole time. I have to catch that snap — that’s unfortunate. Denzel (Browns CB Denzel Ward) made an unbelievable play there. A.J. had it in his hands and was shielding him with his back. Denzel reached over his back and punched it out. That’s a big-time play.”
What do you need to be doing to in the fourth quarter in order to convert these games into wins?
“We kicked some field goals down there (in the red zone), that ended up being the difference in the game. And we turned the ball over. I think we ended up scoring on every drive in the second half, but we just have to score touchdowns every time instead of field goals.”
Can you describe the feeling of leading that last TD drive to take the lead late?
“It’s what I expect of myself. It’s exciting, but I expect myself to do that every week. I want the ball in my hand at the end of the game. I’m comfortable, and I’m confident I’m going to down and make a play to win. Unfortunately Baker was playing out of his mind and led that two-minute drive after it.”