Cris Collinsworth didn’t hold back when talking about Joe Burrow ahead of Sunday night’s Bengals-Steelers matchup.
With Cincinnati set to host Pittsburgh at Paycor Stadium on Sunday Night Football, the former Bengals star and current national broadcaster said Burrow’s season has been defined by how much he has carried on his own shoulders. Collinsworth pointed to the work Burrow puts in and the responsibility he has taken on as the face of the offense.
“He works very hard at his craft, but he’s basically taken this entire team on his shoulders, and I think everybody down there would tell you that,” Collinsworth said. “From just analyzing football, it’s always been you got to have a little bit of everything, when Cincinnati’s been good in the past and my teams went on to the Super Bowl, it was Pete Johnson, Ickey Woods, James Brooks and we had that sort of balance.”
He also said the Bengals have become part of a larger shift toward the pass-heavy style he’s seeing around the league, and he compared that trend to what he sees from Green Bay as well.
“We’re seeing two teams that are taking all of that and shifting that paradigm in a way that I’ve never seen,” Collinsworth said. “The Green Bay Packers being one, their offensive line can’t block anybody running the football, the Bengals are much better than that, but it’s like maybe they do just have to throw it, as you’re watching the Atlanta game and I was like ‘why would you not give it Joe Burrow and throw it every time?”
Collinsworth then zeroed in on what separates Burrow from other top quarterbacks: the timing. In his view, Burrow throws the ball at exactly the right moment, and that precision opens things up for Zac Taylor’s play-calling. He also praised the connection between Burrow and Mike Gesicki over the middle of the field.
“He seems to throw it every time it’s the absolutely correct thing to do, and so as a coach what that does for you is it allows you to call a lot of deep passes, he just doesn’t miss the opportunities,” Collinsworth said. “They also have this great combination with Gesicki being enough of a threat going down the middle of the field that they work the middle of the field better than a lot of the combinations that I see.”
Collinsworth is set to be on the call Sunday night with Mike Tirico for a game that carries plenty of weight for both sides in the AFC North.
In Other News...
Bengals May Finally Have A First Round Answer At Linebacker
Linebacker has been one of the quieter but more persistent roster questions in Cincinnati, and NBC Sports analyst Connor Rogers recently floated a possible long-range answer in his 2027 mock draft. He projected the Bengals to take Notre Dame linebacker Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa, a prospect whose appeal comes from a blend of run defense, pass-rushing ability and coverage work that would fit the modern demands of the position.
Viliamu-Asas profile is intriguing enough on its own, but the medical history is part of the conversation too, since he has already dealt with two ACL injuries. In a mock-draft setting, it is all speculative by nature, yet it does underline how the Bengals could eventually look to the first round for a linebacker who brings more than one skill set to the table. [Read more 🡒]
Bengals Could Get Needed Secondary Help At The Perfect Time
The Bengals got a small but potentially timely boost in the secondary this week when Jalen Davis 21-day practice window opened, and he was a full participant in his first practice back. With the defense still piecing together its depth, Cincinnati is at least exploring the possibility of getting Davis back into the mix, which would give the coaching staff another option as the schedule tightens up.
Josh Newton is expected to handle backup quarterback duties against the Steelers, so the Bengals are still sorting through the immediate roster picture as they look ahead to Washington next week. The Commanders are coming off a Thursday Night Football win, which only adds to the challenge, and any extra help in the secondary could matter if Davis is ready to be activated in time. [Read more 🡒]
Bengals Have A Familiar O-Line Decision That Could Matter Soon
The Eagles cutting Fred Johnson puts a familiar name back into the conversation for Cincinnati at a time when offensive line depth is always worth monitoring. Johnson, who previously played for the Bengals, did not start for Philadelphia this season but did make eight starts in 2025, giving him the kind of recent game experience that can matter when teams are sorting through midseason depth options.
For the Bengals, the question is whether to get involved now by claiming him off waivers or wait and see if he becomes available for the practice squad. Either path would be about shoring up the line with a player the organization already knows, and with roster churn always in play this time of year, it is the sort of decision that can quietly carry more weight than it first appears. [Read more 🡒]