The Cincinnati Bengals are 2-0, sit atop of the AFC North and franchise quarterback Joe Burrow hasn’t even played his best game yet.
Let that sink in.
Burrow called his performance against the Houston Texans on Sept. 20 “incredibly average” and expects more from himself and his offense.
“We’re 2-0, that’s what matters right now,” Burrow said. “We’re going to keep getting better. We’ll get back, watch the film, see where we can improve.”
But it’s a lot easier for the Bengals to fix things when they’re undefeated and have a newfound confidence on defense. Cincinnati’s defensive unit kept the Texans to six points and 60
rushing yards in the 20-6 win over the Houston Texans in Week 2 on Sept. 20.
Facing the NFL’s best defense in 2025 on the road coming off a week in which he was limited in practice due to back tightness, it was always going to be a tall task for Burrow and the offense.
Burrow was sacked five times and hit 10 times. He took a beating in the pocket from Houston’s top edge rushers Will Anderson and Danielle Hunter. The performance the Bengals got from Burrow despite all of the different variables at play is why he’s so beloved inside the walls of Paycor Stadium.
He didn’t flinch when times got tough at Reliant Stadium and remained confident the explosive plays would come.
And just as we’ve seen them do for the past five seasons, Burrow leaned on his star wide receivers to ignite the offense. Ja’Marr Chase and Burrow connected on one of the impressive passing plays so far this year. Chase’s 30-yard touchdown catch in the second quarter set the tone for the rest of the game.
“Unbelievable play … unbelievable,” Burrow said of Chase’s touchdown catch.
Tee Higgins and Chase combined for 12 catches, 170 yards and two touchdowns.
Burrow completed 20 of 31 passes for 207 and two touchdowns. Most importantly, Burrow didn’t commit a turnover despite taking a high number of hits.
The Bengals hope to hit their stride offensively soon. Until they do, Burrow will continue to remind everyone how quickly things can change.
“To get a win on the road like that is big for us, but it’s just Week 2,” Burrow said. “We’ve been 0-2 before and rattled off 10 in a row, you can do the same the other way. We just gotta keep going.”
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Joe Burrow played 'incredibly average.' That could be scary for AFC
