The Cincinnati Bengals are coming off a 9-8 season that has left a bitter taste in their mouths. But like any good group of ballers, they’ve taken that loss and turned it into fuel for the coming season. QB Joe Burrow, for one, seems particularly driven as the team goes through the final week of OTAs. His teammate, WR Tee Higgins, has seen that fire up close and shared a trait of their QB that could be a future sight for what’s coming this season.

Despite the team’s losses last season, Joe Burrow had marked 2024 as his career best. And he’s working through the OTAs like a man on a mission. So, when your own cornerback picks an interception off of you, what does Joe Burrow do? He takes it personally and makes an even bigger play, which lands perfectly. So what happened in the OTAs? Burrow threw a pass to TE Mike Gesicki. But Cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt came in with a leap and intercepted the pass. The result? Burrow took that to heart, and next, he threw a 70-yard TD to Ja’Marr Chase. And Higgins has now explained the drive behind that TD pass.

In a YouTube video posted by Cincinnati Bengals Talk, reporters spoke to Tee Higgins about their training for 2025. Asking about the pick by Cam Taylor-Britt, the question went, “Joe threw a pick today. On the next play, he threw like a 70-yard touchdown to Ja’Marr. When he throws one, do you know that something’s coming on the next play?” Tee Higgins’ answer? “I knew he was pissed off when he threw that pick. I didn’t know what was coming. I didn’t even see him give Ja’Marr that route, but I just looked up, the balls in there, Ja’Marr was catching it.” Higgins further explained when things “don’t go his way,” Burrow is likely to get pissed off and show out with an explosive play next. And that attitude brings a lot of hope to the Bengals fans right now, particularly with Burrow’s and Chase’s performance last season.

Where Does Bengals Still Lack Elite Talent?

Let Tony do the scouting, you just make the pick.

Pick your positions. Get Tony’s top 5:

C

CB

DE

DT

FB

G

ILB

OLB

P

PK

QB

RB

S

T

TE

WR

View Tony’s Picks

Ja’Marr Chase catching a 70-yard touchdown is certainly a cause to celebrate, but it’s not something new. The guy has already clocked 1,708 receiving yards along with 17 TDs just last season. As for Joe Burrow, he’s coming off a career-best 4,918 yards with a massive 43 TDs. But there may be a deeper reason for Burrow’s drive this offseason. As he had recently confessed, last season’s record rings out like a big lesson for him. And he intends to make the most of that.

Joe Burrow’s 2024 regrets

After enduring a 3-game losing streak right at the start, things didn’t look that good for the Bengals. But as the season continued, towards the end, Burrow led them on a 5-game win streak right up to Week 17, where they stood 9-8 after a victory against the Steelers. But with the Broncos snagging a win the next day, that was it for Joe Burrow’s playoff quest. At the time, the Bengals’ defense was under scrutiny as they took the fall for the Bengals’ 2024 predicament. But as Joe Burrow saw it, it wasn’t really the defense that lacked.

Joe Burrow doesn’t blame the defense for last season. In his mind, it was he who failed the Bengals. As Burrow had recently shared, “If I had played even better, we wouldn’t have been in that spot that we were in.” Giving his career best and still taking the fall for the team’s defeat. That’s pure QB1 energy. And with this, the drive within Burrow is clearer than ever as he further added, “I just focus on getting better myself, and I feel like everyone in the locker room feels the same way. If I go out there and play better than I did last year, then it doesn’t matter what goes on anywhere else.” 

Like the perfect leader, Joe Burrow has taken the blame on his own shoulders. But he is also using it as fuel for the next season. With his sights set on delivering another explosive season, it would only mean that last year’s career best was just a stopgap for him. Exciting things are coming this season from the Bengals’ QB1. Do you think Burrow can break his records again this year?