PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – He’s the hottest quarterback in the league at home in prime-time. The praise is coming from all corners of the Steelers locker room. What the defense says it needs to do to at least limit Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow Sunday night in Cincinnati.
First let’s understand the numbers, starting with the key one on the scoreboard. Over the last four games, all wins, Cincinnati is averaging 35.7 points per game. In only one of those games has he committed a turnover.
- at Miami 23-32, 190 yards, 4 TD
- at Baltimore 22-30, 292 yards, 4 TD
- Tennessee 38-48, 462 yards, 5 TD, 3 INT
- at Atlanta 24-29, 271 yards, 3 TD
“Cincinnati is in an incredible rhythm right now,” said Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy, adding Burrow is on top of his game. “I mean, obviously the individuals speak for themselves. The talent, the production, their experience. I think you can see definitely just how the whole operation is going. So, they're playing at a very high level.”
“I think, just like anything in our game, you watch games live and then you have a chance to watch it through the coach's copy, and just watching it live was very impressive.”
“This is a challenge for us, but it's a challenge we're looking forward to.”
In the first game in Pittsburgh, the seventh-year QB was 28-37 (76%), 282 yards with three touchdown passes and no interceptions. The only sack the Steelers had was the last play of the game as Derrick Harmon, who is questionable to return this week, stripped the ball from Burrow to seal it. Burrow will have watched that tape as well and his former college teammate knows how obsessive Burrow is about improving.
“I remember at LSU he would always come into the locker room and say ‘hey, what were you in on this’, ‘what were you thinking on this’?” said Steelers linebacker Patrick Queen. “He’s always been in the book. He’s always been watching film and trying to get better.”
“He’s taken his game to a whole other level. He’s probably the best quarterback in the league right now.”
What else Queen saw is something noticed by Steelers defensive coordinator Patrick Graham.
“The first thing that stands out to me is his toughness,” Graham said. “I just think he's a throwback quarterback in terms of — I didn't realize it until I think in '23 when we played him, how big he is. He's just a massive man. And how tough he is in the pocket in terms of getting hit, and he just bounces right back up. You could see that. He'll stay in there and get the ball out when people are in his face.”
“The intelligence, in terms of seeing the looks, but he's also patient. You can tell how they work the play clock a little bit. He's patient. He's going to let it wind down to see what you're in.”
“He just keeps coming at you. Real short memory. He has a bad play, he'll get upset about it, but he moves on and he's slinging the ball down the
field and rocking and rolling. He's just a really good player.”
Graham joked his kids could notice his arm talent, but it’s the long list of intangibles that make him great.
In his last couple of home games against the Steelers, Burrow has struggled, although injuries caused him to miss games in 2023 and 2025
- Sept. 11, 2022 23-20 OT loss, 33-53, 338y, 2 TD, 4 INT, sacked 7 times
- Dec. 1, 2024 44-38 loss, 28-39, 309y, 3 TD, INT, sacked 4 times
Now the strategy, to Graham’s point about Burrow’s intelligence, he can’t know your scheme.
“Joe is the guy, if he knows what you are in, he’s picking you apart,” Queen said. “The best thing is either be stationary before the snap or everyone moving before the snap. If one guy is off line or if one guy is giving anything away, he’s going to sit there and pick you apart. You know those guys they got on that side, what they can do when they have the ball in their hand.”
Graham compared Burrow other ‘Tier 1’ quarterbacks, mentioning his game and football IQ with Tom Brady, Peyton Manning and Aaron Rodgers. Now here’s the rub for putting a game plan together, they can’t be too exotic.
“I think it's most important we don't fool ourselves,” Graham said. “We've got to play our best ball and make sure we're in position to be able to defend the pass, play the run game.”
“Those (Tier 1) guys have seen all the disguises. It's about how you play. That's the main focus.”
Cincinnati’s strategy in the first game was not to sit back in the pocket, rather allow the receivers to make plays on short throws.
Harmon said that’s where the defensive line must push and collapse the pocket. Get guys into Burrow’s feet, elite quarterbacks will tell you pressure up the middle is the most disturbing, especially thoughts of not being able to plant on a throw.
Graham believes their level on communication on defense is better in recent weeks and if that makes them just a half-second quicker, that could be the difference in hitting the quarterback’s arm, getting hands in his face, just disrupting his timing. As the Steelers DC put it, all of those little things matter in these games.
“We are a great defense when we play physical, when we impose our will on the other team,” said Steelers linebacker Alex Highsmith. “For us up front, it starts with the rush and really affecting Joe and not letting him sit back there comfortable. We have to make him uncomfortable. We got to have a great rush plan and really get after him up front.”
“Just got to stay active, when you look at that (first) game, there were a lot of quick passes,” said Steelers defensive lineman Cam Heyward. “At the end of the game we got him in some advantageous situations. When we did that, our pass rush hit home. It was just about staying patient in the game. Going into this game, we aren’t going to have as many shots, but when get them, we got to make them count.”
Like Harmon did on September 27th in Acrisure Stadium.
“We’ve had a great bye week to get our bodies back and a great week of prep this week,” said Steelers linebacker TJ Watt. “As you know, it’s all about the performance Sunday night.”
And inside the game, what a chess match it should be between a pair of 6-2 teams.
What makes Burrow great & how the defense counters that Sunday night
What makes Burrow great & how the defense counters that Sunday night
