“The goal is always the division title,” Burrow said. “Obviously making the playoffs is great and we can clinch on Saturday, but that’s not really the goal. … Our goal is to go 1-0 this week and I think the rest will take of itself from there.”
Cincinnati is seeking a seventhstraight win but could actually punch its playoff ticket from a hotel room Thursday night if the New York Jets lose or tie against the Lions. The Bengals are traveling a day earlier than usual to avoid bad weather forecasted for Friday.
Burrow will be watching other games relevant to the AFC playoff picture and divisional opponents but still has tunnel vision when it comes to what Cincinnati needs to do.
“You pay attention to the games that are going on throughout the week, you know, the Monday night game, the Thursday night game, the Saturday games, if you’re playing on Sunday, if they’re relevant to you, if it’s an AFC team, or if it’s a division opponent, but you also have to balance that and understand you’ve still got to get your job done to make it matter. So, there’s a balance there.”
This week brings a different kind of challenge for Burrow, going up against a Bill Belichick defense that has a way of taking away the opponent’s biggest weapon. The Patriots rank in the top 10 in all the major defensive categories, including limiting teams to 19.2 points per game.
They do it with two dominant edge rushers and a scheme that a six-time Super Bowl champion coach has perfected over decades.
“We know that they’re going to have a good plan for us and we’re going to have to make adjustments in game to what we’re seeing because we know that they’re going to have some gameplan stuff for us that we haven’t seen before,” Burrow said. “So, it’s going to be a challenge for us as an offense to take those adjustments and run with them on-the-fly because we know that they’re going to have some stuff that we haven’t seen.”
Burrow said there is some extra juice going into a challenge that is as tough as it gets when it comes to Xs and Os, but beating Belichick’s defense was never something he specifically had on his checklist of things to accomplish when he entered the league.
Belichick was never intimidating to Burrow. He even casually walked up to Belichick at a Miami steakhouse in 2020 to introduce himself before Burrow was made the No. 1 overall draft pick a few months later.
“I didn’t really think about it,” Burrow said. “I figured he knew who I was. I just went up and introduced myself. Nothing crazy.”
Belichick is what makes New England’s defense stand out, Burrow said.
“We know they’re very well coached,” Burrow said. “They’re going to have a good plan. You see it every week and on film. They’ll have a plan for certain guys. They’ll have a third- down plan that you probably haven’t seen. They’ll have a red-zone plan you haven’t seen, so you’ll have to make adjustments.”
The Bengals could get one of their offensive weapons back this week with tight end Hayden Hurst at least now practicing as a limited participant. Tyler Boyd played Sunday at Tampa Bay a week after having finger surgery to repair a dislocated finger, and Tee Higgins returned from a hamstring injury.
On defense, Cincinnati likely will be without Sam Hubbard, who suffered a calf injury against the Bucs, but Trey Hendrickson (wrist), Mike Hilton (knee) and Cam Taylor-Britt (shoulder/stinger) are all among the players Zac Taylor classified as “trending toward optimistic” after either missing the last game or getting injured during it.
Even Burrow has dealt with some bumps and bruises lately, popping up on the injury report last week with an elbow issue he said was just a bruise and also nicking his pinky Sunday.
“It doesn’t affect how you play,” Burrow said. “Doesn’t affect how you practice. It doesn’t affect how you go about your routine. Everyone’s got cuts and bruises and something swollen every week. That’s just part of the game. Can’t let it distract you from the fact that you’ve gotta get your job done.”
SATURDAY’S GAME
Bengals at Patriots, 1 p.m., Ch. 7, 12; 700, 1530, 102.7, 104.7
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