Joe Burrow returned to the field on Thanksgiving after missing over two months when he injured his toe in the second game of the season, and had a signature game against the Baltimore Ravens, throwing for 261 yards and two touchdowns.
However, in the week against the Buffalo Bills, Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals blew a 10-point fourth-quarter lead, dropping the team's ninth game of the season. During the post-game press conference, the All-Pro quarterback made a comment that sparked controversy and raised questions about his commitment to the black and orange.
Then, after last week's shutout loss in the rematch with the Ravens, the noise behind Burrow's statement got louder as he was asked to explain more about what he meant and also heavily criticized the way he played. It even got to the point where star wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase publicly offered his support for Burrow, letting him know he has been entirely behind his teammate since college.
Sunday, on the other hand, was the first game in which the trio of Burrow, Chase, and Tee Higgins was healthy in a while, and it paid dividends for the Bengals as they completely dominated the Miami Dolphins in Hard Rock Stadium with a 45-21 victory.
In that win, Burrow had 309 passing yards, four touchdowns, and a quarterback rating of 146.5, which has become an expected performance as Burrow is established as one of the best young signal-callers in the league.
After a lopsided win and a big-time outing like that, it should come as no surprise that Burrow was in a much better mood in the post-game and even brought up the idea of fun in a better light.
"It was fun. I'm having fun playing football. Not playing football is not fun. This is how it is supposed to look, feel like, so we gotta keep that feeling going these next couple weeks and build some momentum." Burrow said after the 24-point win.
The Bengals will finish their season with a two-game home stand, facing the Arizona Cardinals and the Cleveland Browns.
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