Joe Burrow is in the game plan for the Cincinnati Bengals in the regular-season finale against the Cleveland Browns, head coach Zac Taylor said Monday.
The Bengals are not planning to rest or preserve Burrow, the oft-injured starting quarterback who played in his seventh game of the season in Week 17 and improved to 5-2 as a starter in 2025.
One of those five wins for Burrow this season was a 17-16 victory at Cleveland. Burrow was sacked three times and had 113 passing yards with one touchdown.
Since returning from a toe injury that knocked Burrow out of the game Week 2 and required surgery, his production has been on the upswing.
Burrow was 24 of 31 for 305 passing yards with two touchdowns in a 37-14 win over the Cardinals in Week 17, following up his four-TD day at Miami on Dec. 21.
“He’s got a ton of confidence, he’s playing with great rhythm, extending plays, hitting big plays down the field,” Taylor said. “He did a great job with the protection checks (Sunday), because that can be really difficult and stressful against these guys. They do a good job of attacking your protections, so Joe was on it. Again, just playing like I know Joe to play, and it’s fun to watch.”
Taylor said Monday the Bengals need “all hands on deck” to compete with Browns star Myles Garrett. The defensive end has 22 sacks, on the doorstep of the single-season record of 22.5 held by Steelers pass rusher T.J. Watt and former Giants defensive end Michael Strahan.
Garrett sacked Burrow twice in the first meeting this season.
“He’s the best defensive player on Planet Earth,” Taylor said. “You can’t put it into words. It’s all hands on deck. He’s an absolute nightmare.”
