Bengals QB Joe Burrow gets candid on Patrick Mahomes' influence on his game

Joe Burrow knows plenty about Patrick Mahomes and his elite play. The two have played each other four times (two regular-season games and two AFC Championship Games), with the Cincinnati Bengals leading the latter's Kansas City Chiefs 3-1.

This upcoming season, the two teams will clash again in Week 2. And as that game looms, the former Comeback Player of the Year, completion percentage leader and one-time Pro Bowler has much to ponder about the legacy his rival has left on his psyche.

Speaking to Kay Adams on Up & Adams on Sunday, he said:

"Gotta NOT be scared to make mistakes... gotta go out and make plays cause you know he's gonna go out and make plays and that brings out the BEST in me. It's always an exciting challenge when we go up against each other. It's an opportunity... All eyes are going to be on it."

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Joe Burrow discusses recovery from wrist injury, wanting to win Super Bowl in Louisiana

Joe Burrow's ascent to elite status met a temporary halt in the 2023-24 season when he snapped a ligament in his wrist during a loss at the Baltimore Ravens. It proved costly, as the Bengals lost their offensive leader and ultimately missed the playoffs.

It was not his first major injury, however, as a knee injury wiped out his rookie season. He called this recurring phenomenon of pain and healing "a dark time" in the same interview:

“When you’re coming back from injury… you build your life around football and being out there and playing well and winning games. And you work so hard for it and then it’s taken away from you and you can’t do that. Whenever the injuries start to stack up, your football mortality comes into the back of your mind.”

But now he is back, sporting a new hairstyle and hunger:

“I think I really have a leg up on everybody this year. I had 10 to 12 extra weeks of offseason, which I think has really paid off body wise.”

Burrow's goal remains the same: win Super Bowl LIX in Louisiana, where he and teammate Ja'Marr Chase formerly shone for the LSU Tigers.

He said:

"Of course... I've definitely thought about it. That'd be fun."