Ja’Marr Chase picks up his 2nd TD vs. Arizona (0:23)
Ja’Marr Chase extends Cincinnati’s lead with an 8-yard touchdown, his second of the game. (0:23)
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Ben BabyDec 31, 2025, 05:32 PM ET
- Ben Baby covers the Cincinnati Bengals for ESPN. He joined the company in July 2019. Prior to ESPN, he worked for various newspapers in Texas, most recently at The Dallas Morning News where he covered college sports. He provides daily coverage of the Bengals for ESPN.com, while making appearances on SportsCenter, ESPN’s NFL shows and ESPN Radio programs. A native of Grapevine, Texas, he graduated from the University of North Texas with a bachelor’s degree in journalism. He is an adjunct journalism professor at Southern Methodist University and a member of the Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA).
CINCINNATI — For the third straight season, the Cincinnati Bengals will miss the playoffs, leading quarterback Joe Burrow to again state the obvious.
«We don’t want to be in the spot we are in now, so something’s got to change,» Burrow said Wednesday. «Whether it’s players we have continuing to improve and get better and play championship-caliber football or bringing in guys that will or whatever it may be. Obviously, something has to [change].»
It’s the second time in recent weeks that Burrow has advocated for things to be done differently.
«What we’ve been doing hasn’t worked the last couple of years,» Burrow said Dec. 17. «We have to think outside the box and get creative about where we go from here.»
While Burrow has not vocalized what needs to be different, Wednesday’s comments provided more clarity about what the team could be looking for.
Burrow, a sixth-year player and two-time MVP finalist, has missed nine games this season with a turf toe injury that required surgery. Since he came back Nov. 27, the team has won three of his five starts. A victory against the Cleveland Browns (4-12) on Sunday would give Cincinnati (6-10) a three-game winning streak to close the season.
Bengals coach Zac Taylor has been under scrutiny from the fan base, but Burrow has been supportive of the coach amid his desire for change.
On Wednesday, Taylor said he didn’t feel the need to show the front office that the team is again close to being a contender.
«I’m not trying to show anybody,» Taylor said. «We’re all in this together, so I don’t think there’s any need to show anybody anything.»
The end-of-season vibes are vastly different than they were earlier in Burrow’s career. In 2021, the year after Burrow was drafted at No. 1, Cincinnati made the playoffs for the first time since 2015 and went all the way to the Super Bowl — the franchise’s deepest run in 33 years. The following season, the Bengals returned to the AFC Championship Game, where they lost to the Kansas City Chiefs.
During that run, Burrow confidently proclaimed that his championship window will last his entire career. On Wednesday, Burrow was asked to square that claim.
«This year, I’ve played however many games and we’ve won more than we’ve lost,» Burrow said. «And I feel good about that. All I can do is go out and when I’m out on the field, try to play well, try to win and go from there.»
That tied into another theme that Burrow has harped on this season — happiness. When asked for a resolution for the new year, Burrow said it was to «be happy.»
And for him, that comes with being on the field. And as the results have shifted, Burrow said he’s having fun.
«I think I have fun playing football,» Burrow said. «It’s certainly difficult when you can’t. And, you know, I had fun last year, too. Certainly frustrating at times.
«That’s life in the NFL. That’s life of playing sports. That’s why you play it. At the beginning, you feel emotions that you don’t feel in other parts of your life. Highs, lows, all the above, everything in between.»
