Joe Burrow sets new career high in explosion vs. Ravens
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow used his legs in last week's win over the Panthers, and he also took a big hit . But he turned back to prime form in Sunday's game against the Ravens, setting a new career high in a five-touchdown explosion.
Burrow cranked it up by hitting 27 of his first 34 passes for 353 yards and five scores as the Bengals tried to hold of the Ravens in a shootout that went into overtime. The passing-TD total marked the best of his career , according to a post on X b y Paul Dehner Jr of The Athletic.
Bengals QB Joe Burrow airs it out against Ravens
Burrow came into the game on a hot streak, throwing multiple touchdown passes in three straight weeks. He had two against the Chiefs, three against the Commanders, and two more against the Panthers in Week 4.
The five tosses Sunday gave him 12 for the season, and put him on a record pace of 41 for the season. Burrow had 13 scoring strikes in 10 games as a rookie in 2020 before hitting on 34 in his second season. In 2022, he connected on 35 touchdown passes. Last year turned into a forgettable season as Burrow managed only 15 touchdowns in an injury-plagued season that netted him only 10 games.
Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said he knew what his team would be up against in facing the talented Burrow, according to cbsnews.com.
"Really, we've seen the same thing that we've always seen from (Burrow)," Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. "He's playing very well. He plays the game in a very unique way, a very precise way, in terms of his reads, his accuracy, his timing, (and) he's strong in the pocket — all of those things. He's leading that team, leading that offense like he always does."
The Ravens entered the game with a plan to limit Burrow's effectiveness. But it just didn't work according to the plan that defensive coordinator Zach Orr detailed to baltimoreravens.com.
"Every year is different; every game is different," Orr said. "I think part of the success has just been everybody being on the same page playing team defense and going out there playing as hard as we can and not giving up big plays. That's a big focus for us going into this week is (for) everybody (to be) on the same page; us playing team defense and us eliminating explosive plays, because we know they're a real explosive offense. I think if we do that, we give ourselves a good chance."
