CINCINNATI \u2013 What Joe Burrow put on display Sunday against the Ravens gives every Bengals fan real Super Bowl hope and offers caution to every defensive coordinator.<\/p>\n
Who cares if he doesn\u2019t think nightlife in Cincinnati is hoppin\u2019 and poppin\u2019? You can call Cincinnati every synonym for boring and quiet you want if it means you\u2019re going to show the city what you showed it Sunday. <\/p>\n
Think Aaron Rodgers has been to brighter lights and faster nightlife than Green Bay? Rodgers doesn\u2019t seem to be complaining about throwing to Davante Adams and setting all kinds of records. And Burrow has not one, not two but three Pro Bowl-caliber receivers. <\/p>\n
Burrow found Tee Higgins 12 times for 194 yards and two touchdowns. Burrow connected with Ja\u2019Marr Chase seven times for 125 yards and hit up Tyler Boyd three times for 85 yards, including a 68-yard score.<\/p>\n
In throwing for a franchise-record 525 yards and four touchdowns, the Bengals quarterback helped the team do precisely what they were supposed to do with Josh Johnson starting on the other side: Post a one-sided victory, 41-21, that brings them one win away from their first AFC North title since 2015.<\/p>\n
\u201cI guess stat-wise (that was his best), yes, but I think that Joey B. is on point most of the time, and everybody in this offense had a lot to do with it,\u201d Joe Mixon said. <\/p>\n
What Joey Franchise showed us all Sunday is that he is a generational quarterback capable of making a team believe it can do special things. <\/p>\n
You don\u2019t tug on Superman\u2019s cape, you don\u2019t spit into the wind, you don\u2019t pull the mask off that old lone ranger, and you don\u2019t insult Joe Burrow. <\/p>\n
In case you were out last-minute shopping and didn\u2019t notice, Ravens defensive coordinator Don \u201cWink\u201d Martindale told reporters when asked about Joey Franchise that there shouldn\u2019t be too much of a rush to put a \u201cGold Jacket\u201d on the Bengals quarterback. <\/p>\n
\u201cYeah, I (saw it),\u201d Burrow said. \u201cI think it was an unnecessary comment. I wouldn\u2019t say I was offended by it. I\u2019m in Year 2. Who knows what\u2019s going to happen down the road. I didn\u2019t think it was a necessary comment.\u201d <\/p>\n
If Burrow wins a Super Bowl or four or seven, Sunday\u2019s game might find its way onto the Hall of Fame highlight film in Canton.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery good defense has a great quarterback,\u201d said Trey Hendrickson, who recorded his 14th sack of 2021 in the win. \u201cHe\u2019s giving us rest. He\u2019s completing throws. It was a great game. It was fun watching No. 9 work. I wouldn\u2019t go around pissing that guy off. He did a great job. I know we\u2019re really proud of him, and as a defense, he\u2019s important to us.\u201d <\/p>\n
\n"I wouldn't go around pissing that guy off." Trey Hendrickson heard the words of Wink Martindale on Joe Burrow #Bengals<\/a> #RuleTheJungle<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/piA58hKXuQ<\/a><\/p>\n
— Mike Petraglia (@Trags) December 26, 2021<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n