Joe Burrow says he was ‘kinda hoping’ the Raiders scored on final drive of Bengals’ wild card win

Moments after helping deliver the Bengals‘ first playoff win in 31 years, Joe Burrow accomplished another, albeit minor feat by making an entire press room erupt in laughter. 

Wearing sunglasses that complemented his “Joe Cool” nickname, Burrow was asked how hard it was to watch Derek Carr attempt to lead the Raiders on a game-tying drive in the final two minutes. Ahead 26-19, Burrow was forced to watch as Carr led a furious drive that included a 23-yard completion to tight end Darren Waller on third-and-17 with 1:16 left. Carr and the Raiders had three shots to score from the 9-yard-line in the game’s last half-minute. 

“It’s tough,” Burrow said of his late-game spectator status. “I was kinda hoping they would just go down and score so I could get it back, but I’m glad the defense made a play.”

The first big play came when safety Jessie Bates III broke up Carr’s pass to Zay Jones on second down. Carr’s end zone pass on third down harmlessly hit the turf after Hunter Renfrow and Mike Hilton collided with each other. The game was won when linebacker Germaine Pratt stepped in front of Carr’s fourth-down pass to Jones in the front of the end zone. 

“I’m usually sitting down, but I decided I should probably stand up for that one,” Burrow said of his defense’s fourth-down stand. “[Pratt has] played unbelievable all year. I’m excited for him to be able to make a play in that situation.” 

Part of Burrow’s angst at the end of the game was due to not being able to put more points on the board in the second half. Two Evan McPherson field goals accounted for Cincinnati’s second-half points after the offense scored 20 points in the first half. The Bengals’ offense was unable to put the game away after getting the ball with 3:34 left and the Raiders down to one timeout. Two runs and a short completion to tight end C.J. Uzomah led to the Bengals’ only three-and-out of the night and gave the Raiders the ball at their own 35-yard-line with 1:51 left. 

“The whole second half, we knew we needed to put points on the board, and we kept kicking field goals instead of touchdowns,” Burrow said. “That was disappointing, but we were moving the ball and getting points, so can’t be too mad about it, but obviously could have executed better.”

It wasn’t their best night, but the Bengals’ offense put up enough points to help Cincinnati advance to the divisional round. They got a big touchdown just before halftime when Burrow avoided pressure and tightroped the near sideline before hitting Tyler Boyd in the end zone for a 14-yard score. The score drew controversy as an official prematurely blew his whistle just before the ball hit Boyd’s hand. The official thought Burrow had stepped out of bounds prior to delivering his pass. 

Burrow did not hear the whistle, but he did take advantage of something he saw from the Raiders’ defense leading up to the game. 

“They dropped eight and they kind of had a spy on me, so I knew I could sit back in the pocket a little bit and find a little escape route,” Burrow said of the play. “I was telling the guys all week that the big play would come in scramble situations because they’re so good at eliminating the big play, and turned out right in that situation.” 

That touchdown pass was Burrow’s best play, but his most meaningful snap came in “victory” formation on the game’s final play. The record crowd of 66,277 immediately began celebrating, while their quarterback began to think about what’s next. 

“It’s exciting. It’s exciting for the city, for the state, but we’re not going to dwell on that,” Burrow said. “We’re moving forward. Whoever we play next, we’ll be ready to go out and execute the game plan.”