The Cincinnati Bengals are riding a two-game winning streak after Sunday’s 37–14 win over the Arizona Cardinals. Still, with Cincinnati officially out of the playoff race and little at stake heading into the regular-season finale against the Cleveland Browns, questions naturally surfaced about whether the team might shut things down at quarterback. That idea, however, was quickly dismissed.

According to sources from Fox19’s Joe Danneman, following the win over Arizona, head coach Zac Taylor was asked if Joe Burrow would start in Week 18. His response was as direct as it gets: “YES.” When the same topic came up again during Monday’s press conference, this time framed around whether there was any consideration of sitting Burrow, Taylor doubled down. Burrow will play because he “gives us the best chance to win.”

There had been some concern about continuing to expose Burrow to risk with the season effectively decided. But in reality, the Bengals have already been managing his workload. Burrow exited both of the last two games at or early in the fourth quarter. He first did it in Week 16 against the Miami Dolphins and again Sunday versus Arizona.

And the production explains the confidence. Against Miami, Burrow went 25-of-32 for 309 yards and four touchdowns and didn’t take a single sack. He followed that up by completing 24 of 31 passes for 305 yards and two touchdowns against the Cardinals, without an interception. Statistically, Burrow remains elite. He currently sits as fantasy football’s overall QB5, with multiple 300-yard performances and a strong 12:4 touchdown-to-interception ratio.

That level of efficiency is exactly why Taylor is comfortable running the offense through his franchise quarterback one more time. While the season as a whole veered off course following Burrow’s early injury, the Bengals appear intent on closing it out on their terms. That won’t be simple, though. The Week 18 matchup comes with its own challenge, especially with Myles Garrett eyeing a bit of NFL history.

Zac Taylor praised Myles Garrett, as the edge rusher eyes the single-season sack record

With 17 weeks of the 2025 regular season in the books, Myles Garrett sits at 22 sacks on the year. That’s close. But not close enough. After coming up empty in recent games, the Browns’ star now enters the regular-season finale needing just half a sack to join the record books… and just one more to stand alone atop them. Currently, the NFL’s single-season record is held by Michael Strahan (2001) and T.J. Watt (2021) at 22.5.

Whether Garrett gets there or not will be settled on Sunday. But ahead of the matchup, Zac Taylor made one thing clear: Cincinnati’s focus isn’t on history. It’s on winning.

“Every year we play him in Week 18; there’s something on the line for his career,” Taylor said, addressing Garrett. “Last year, it was his 100th sack. We just gotta have a plan that puts us in the best chance to win the game, and he can handle whatever he’s gonna handle. The way he plays in Week 1, and he plays the same every week. So whether he’s got something on the line or not, he’s got our full attention.”

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That respect is rooted in experience. Cincy and Cleveland met back in Week 1, a game Cincinnati narrowly won 17–16. Even in that loss, Garrett was arguably the most dominant player on the field, a fact Taylor didn’t shy away from acknowledging.

“He’s the best. He’s the best defensive player on planet Earth,” Zac Taylor said. “I don’t even know how to; you can’t put it into words. It’s hard to describe what your plan has to be when you play against him. And it’s all hands on deck. I have as much respect for him as any player we’ve ever gone against.”

That said, the picture is clear. Garrett is one sack away from history. Taylor knows the pattern of these late-season meetings almost always comes with a milestone attached. Still, Cincinnati isn’t adjusting its priorities. The Bengals will focus on execution, protection, and winning the game. What Garrett does beyond that, as Taylor put it, is up to Garrett.