Joe Burrow entered Sunday with a career-high 36 touchdown passes in a remarkable campaign for the Cincinnati Bengals.
His 37th was one of his best of the season.
Burrow threw a touchdown to Tee Higgins in the first quarter of Sunday’s game against the Cleveland Browns as he fell to the ground. He tripped over center Ted Karras as the pocket collapsed at first base and seemed destined to come down to force second base.
But he found Higgins and released the ball just in time. Higgins caught the ball in the end zone to give the Bengals a 7-0 lead.
Burrow’s knees touched the turf before he threw the ball, and officials reviewed the play. But it didn’t matter. He tripped over a teammate and wasn’t hit by a defender as he headed toward the ground and wouldn’t have been taken out anyway.
In #CLEvsCINit doesn’t matter whether Joe Burrow’s knee is on the ground or not. The contact that caused him to lose his balance was caused by his teammate and not a defender.
Good touchdown decision here. pic.twitter.com/KcbbpqQOoV
– Gene Steratore (@GeneSteratore) December 22, 2024
Officials confirmed the touchdown for the Bengals’ first lead.
Burrow is in the midst of a potential MVP-caliber campaign if the Bengals were competitive. He entered Sunday having completed 68.5% of his passes for an NFL-best 284.1 yards per game with 36 touchdowns and eight interceptions.
His 37th touchdown pass to Higgins tied him with Lamar Jackson for the NFL lead. His 38th in the second quarter to Andrei Iosivas extended Cincinnati’s advantage to 14-0 and gave Burrow the league’s passing touchdown lead as his own. The Bengals won 24-6.
Thanks to a porous defense, the Bengals are 7-8 and far from making the playoffs. But Burrow continues to play through one of the best seasons of his career.
