Joe Burrow’s afternoon against the Jacksonville Jaguars turned into the kind of game that invites a lot of second-guessing, and this one came with plenty of it.
The Bengals quarterback threw two interceptions in Sunday’s loss, and the most damaging one came at the worst possible time. Cincinnati was trailing 16-10 in the fourth quarter and had the ball 1st and goal inside the Jacksonville 10-yard line with a chance to take the lead. Instead, Burrow tried to squeeze a late throw into the middle of the field and got picked off.
That play sparked a wave of criticism online, especially because the Bengals’ defense had done its part for most of the day. Jacksonville was kept out of the end zone for much of the game, giving Cincinnati multiple chances to make something happen on offense.
Burrow’s first interception came late in the second quarter when he was hit as he released a third-down pass, and the ball floated into the arms of a defender. He also had another first-half interception wiped away by a roughing the passer penalty.
The red zone mistake, though, was the one that really set off the reaction.
“Joe Burrow has made too many costly mistakes today. First INT he was hit so I can excuse it.
This one right here was just egregious. Bengals defense has been doing it’s job.
At some point Joe Burrow has to do his,” wrote Joel Moran of the Pick a Side podcast.
“Joe Burrow just isn’t Joe Burrow anymore. Panicky. The brain isn’t there anymore,” wrote Cincinnati sports outlet Nati Sports.
“And that Joe Burrow interception just cannot happen,” wrote James Rapien of BengalsTalk.com.
“Joe Burrow throwing meatball subs,” wrote SleeperNFL of his interceptions.
“Well there’s no defending Joe Burrow on that one,” wrote Jake Liscow of the Locked On Bengals.
“Very Joe Burrow to be playing incredible and then throw the worst INT you’ve ever seen in your life,” wrote longtime NFL analyst Willie Lutz.
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