With the array of keen weapons on offense, it can be easy for Cincinnati Bengals offensive coordinator Brian Callahan to call a multitude of deep passing plays for Joe Burrow on a drive-by-drive basis. However, Burrow is well aware of the importance of not only sticking to a balanced game plan, but also simply being careful with the football.
“You’re trying to find the balance of taking your shots and taking risks and pushing the ball downfield and also taking care of the ball, especially when your defense is playing so well,” Burrow said during a press conference ahead of the AFC title game against the Kansas City Chiefs.
“You’ve always got to find a balance as a quarterback, and it changes game to game.”
In the Bengals’ AFC divisional round win over the Buffalo Bills, Callahan did not call on Burrow to throw the football 50-plus times. Instead, Joe Mixon and Samaje Perine were relied upon to help balance out the offense, and they responded by combining for 27 rush attempts for 138 rushing yards. The two running backs each played an instrumental role in the passing game as well.
Overall, Burrow understands just how important it is to know when it is the right time to take risks, both in the air and on the ground.
“Sometimes, you know, if you want to push the ball down the field or put it in a tight window because you know you can, there may not be a reason to,” Burrow said. “In a moment, like, if we didn’t get up big last week, there might have been some throws where I try to push the ball downfield a bit more. But we were running the ball well and our defense was playing great, so maybe you take a checkdown here and there as opposed to fitting things in a tight window.
“So that’s where I think we’ve made strides as a team, is understanding those situations and understanding when we can and can’t take risks.”
The Bengals are looking to pick up a win against the Chiefs in the AFC title game to clinch a trip to the Super Bowl for the fourth time in franchise history.
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