Burrow: 'Gotta win' Week 5 matchup vs. Cardinals
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow characterizes Sunday's game against the Arizona Cardinals as important with the Bengals' record at 1-3.
"Gotta win," Burrow said, according to NFL.com's Grant Gordon. "Whatever it takes. Doesn't have to be pretty, but gotta come out with a W."
The Bengals are used to rocky starts to their regular season campaigns: They started 0-2 in 2022 but ultimately turned their fortunes around to finish 12-4, making it to the AFC Championship Game. Cincinnati is aiming to make a similar turnaround against the Cardinals, who are also 1-3, in Week 5.
Burrow indicated that Sunday's matchup is a big game for multiple reasons aside from wanting to get his team back on track.
"We gotta go in and get a win on the road," Burrow said Wednesday, per Pro Football Network's Jay Morrison. "We haven't had a road win yet. We pride ourselves on the road. We're playing a really good football team, good defense, good scheme. We need it for our morale. We need it for the rankings. We need it for everything."
Burrow has been hampered by a calf issue that's plagued him through training camp into the regular season slate. The star signal-caller provided an optimistic update, saying that this is the best he's felt after a game this season.
While Cincinnati's signal-caller may be feeling better, the health status of one of his favorite targets isn't looking bright. Tee Higgins did not participate in Wednesday's practice after suffering a rib injury in last week's game against the Tennessee Titans.
The Bengals' offense has been unable to take off to begin its 2023 campaign, ranking last league in total yards per game (236) and sitting 31st in points per contest (12.3).
With just 728 passing yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions, Burrow understands that his production needs to pick up if the Bengals want to be contenders in the AFC once again.
Despite Cincinnati's early season struggles, Burrow remains confident that the team is resilient enough to withstand the hurdles in front of them.
"It's tough right now, but we're going to get through it," he said, per Gordon.