Why Was Bengals QB Joe Burrow Still Playing Late in the Blowout Loss to the Titans?

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — It wasn’t on par with the nine-sack playoff game in this building 20 months ago, but Cincinnati Bengals QB Joe Burrow took a beating Sunday in a 27-3 loss to the Tennessee Titans. When an opportunity arose to protect their investment, the Bengals declined.

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Why Was an Injured Joe Burrow Still Playing Late in a Blowout?

With 10:31 left in the game and the Bengals facing a 24-point deficit, Burrow went back out for another series with no hope of doing anything but dressing up the final score.

There were a number of things that could have happened on that drive, and 99 percent of them were bad.

Burrow is clearly compromised by his injured calf, and he appeared to tweak his throwing elbow after having his arm hit on a first-half pass attempt, even though he said he didn’t feel any discomfort.

The Bengals know a setback with the calf could be around any corner, and if that happens, it would be helpful for backup QB Jake Browning to have more than three career snaps under his belt.

Getting him some reps in the final 10 minutes today would have had value, even if it didn’t result in any points.

So why was Burrow still in? HC Zac Taylor was asked that question during his postgame news conference.

“Trying to get back into the game,” Taylor said.

Was there any conversation about getting Browning in the game?

Taylor answered the question with a question.

“I mean, how much time did we get the ball back with in the fourth quarter? Like nine minutes or something, 10 minutes?” Taylor said. “We were trying to get down and score, get the two-point, and make it a two-score game, and try to find a way to get a win.”

Burrow had the same detached-from-reality response.

“I always feel like we’re in it,” Burrow said. “It was a three-score game midway through the third. We were still in it a quarter of the way through the fourth quarter.”

Burrow on staying in during the blowout: pic.twitter.com/pH9dJWrMII

— Jay Morrison (@ByJayMorrison) October 1, 2023

The Bengals weren’t trying to win the game at that point. They made it clear they weren’t really trying. Down by 24 with the clock draining, they ran RB Joe Mixon four times and ate nearly six minutes of clock when they needed three scores.

On two of the final three plays of the drive, Burrow took his third sack of the game. Then, on 4th-and-12, he got lit up by a pair of Tennessee defenders while scrambling for a single yard.

.@trevisgipson's first game of a Titan and he comes up BIG

📺: Watch #CINvsTEN on @NFLonFOX pic.twitter.com/bxTu6obfmS

— Tennessee Titans (@Titans) October 1, 2023

The Bengals know playing Burrow, no matter how hampered he is, gives them the best chance of winning. But that’s when they step off the bus.

When it’s 27-3 in the fourth quarter, and Burrow is not only taking a beating but taking off and testing the calf in situations where he sometimes elects not to earlier in games is a curious decision.

MORE: Cincinnati Bengals Depth Chart

Asked if there is a point of pride in saying he wants to finish the game, Burrow said:

“I would say so.”

But maybe someone else should have stepped in and said, “No.”