Sitting at 3-5 on the season, the Cincinnati Bengals need to turn things around in a hurry if they want to stick around the playoff picture in the AFC. And star quarterback Joe Burrow knows that starts with a Week 9 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders.
Burrow and the Bengals came into the season with hopes and expectations of being one of the best teams in the conference. But to this point, that has largely not been the case due to injuries and an overall lack of execution on the field.
Ahead of their matchup on Sunday, Burrow made it clear that he believes the game is a “must-win” game if they want any real shot of getting into the postseason.
“This is a must-win game, yeah,” said Burrow during a discussion with reporters on Wednesday. “We’re 3-5, you got to 3-6 and you have basically got to win out to get in. Urgency is very high every week from here on out.”
Trailing all teams currently in the playoffs by two games, Burrow couldn’t be more correct about where the team is currently at. A loss would largely force the Bengals to be perfect for much of the remainder of the season.
Burrow hasn’t been the problem in Cincinnati all season long, ranking inside the top 10 individually in most statistical categories amongst quarterbacks in the NFL.
He will need to keep up that production in order to come away with a Week 9 win. But perhaps more importantly, he needs to instill that level of urgency within his teammates as well if they want to largely save their season against the Raiders.
About Reice Shipley
Reice Shipley is a staff writer for Comeback Media that graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in Sports Media. He previously worked at Barrett Sports Media and is a fan of all things Syracuse sports.