Bengals 19, Steelers 17
Q. To get that win and do your part, how satisfying was that?
JOE BURROW: Yeah, it was a big win, one that we were excited about, and one where we needed a lot of different people to step up. Now we can sit back and hope for the best.
Q. What happened when (indiscernible)?
JOE BURROW: Just landed on my head a little bit, and sometimes those situations happen. They scare you a little bit. I was just making sure we were all good.
Q. (Indiscernible).
JOE BURROW: No, I mean, after the first 15 seconds of being down, I realized I was all good.
Q. (Indiscernible).
JOE BURROW: It was nothing that was going to keep me out of the game at that point.
Q. When you were 4-8 (indiscernible) are you happy with the response that you got?
JOE BURROW: I am. I am. I think we have had our great players playing great. For the most part they have all year. But we've had some young guys step up in spots, and that's been -- they've been showing a lot of promise. So that's exciting to have some of those guys step up, step up like that, and guys that we can count on.
Q. You guys went right down the field on the first drive. Did they make adjustments after that?
JOE BURROW: Yeah, they did. They did a good job. That front is really good. So that was a game where you've got to catch it and get it out, get it to your guys and let them go make plays. Our execution in the red zone wasn't good enough. That's kind of the story of the game.
I'm not sure how many field goals we kicked, three or four, something like that. So if we convert a couple of those into touchdowns, it's a different game. Would like to have finished that game on offense and punched those into the end zone, but our defense stepped up and picked up the slack.
Q. (Indiscernible).
JOE BURROW: Well, our defensive young guys and guys that have played great in the past have started playing well. Then Trey Hendrickson after tonight, I don't know who else is going to win Defensive Player of the Year other than him. He was incredible tonight. Anytime that he didn't have chip help, he was getting to the quarterback.
Q. (Indiscernible).
JOE BURROW: You know, we knew the talent that we have. We've been in those spots before. I know that if we get in, we can make some noise with the players and coaches that we have in this building. We've just got to hope for some help tomorrow and sit back and watch it.
Q. What are these next 24 hours going to be like? Are you going to start on Buffalo or just see what happens?
JOE BURROW: I'll go in tomorrow and do my normal postgame routine. I'll lift and get my body right and then go back and watch the games with the guys and see where we're at.
Q. What do you think that's going to feel like tomorrow (indiscernible) hope for the best?
JOE BURROW: It's not ideal, but we've put ourselves in this position. It'll be relaxing. We've won the last five. We won today, put ourselves in a spot to potentially get in with some help.
The odds are long, but we've got a shot.
Q. (Indiscernible).
JOE BURROW: Anytime you don't make the plays, it's a failure. That's what you're aiming for every year. That's why you work so hard is to be at your best in the end. These last five weeks we have been. We just weren't able to find an extra win there early in the season that would put us in a better spot.
Q. Do you think about having to watch for help, thinking back on games in September? Do you find yourself going back like gosh, any one of those --
JOE BURROW: Yeah, unfortunately you do, just like with anything that doesn't go your way in anybody's life, whether it's football or anything. You look back on the decisions that you made that could be different and played out differently. That's hindsight. Everybody has that. We definitely had winnable games that we didn't win and put ourselves in this position.
Q. (Indiscernible).
JOE BURROW: I wouldn't say anything specifically.
Q. Is it going to be weird rooting for another team tomorrow?
JOE BURROW: I wouldn't say weird. We know the situation. I don't know how many guys are playing for them. Hopefully some. But we'll see.
Q. (Indiscernible) what are you hoping that the rest of the off-season (indiscernible) given some of the contract stuff that goes on?
JOE BURROW: Yeah, those conversations will be had and that's some thinking that we all have to do going into the off-season about what we think is best for our team and our organization. We'll get to that after tomorrow and see where we stand, then take some time to correctly think about that.
Q. (Indiscernible).
JOE BURROW: I don't know. He just said good job. That was basically about it.
Q. How would you describe Zac (indiscernible) how has your relationship developed this year?
JOE BURROW: Yeah, he's been the same through it all, whether we win or we lose. He's always himself. I appreciate that about him. Our relationship is as good as it's been. We've had some tough conversations. We've had good conversations and everything in between. That's what playing football in the NFL is all about is having conversations to try to improve your team, yourself and everything. It's been positive.
Q. Do you think the culture met the challenge tonight and for the last month?
JOE BURROW: For the last five games we have, yeah. Five in a row to finish it off is always positive. Might be too little, too late, but we'll find out tomorrow.
Q. (Indiscernible) in all three categories. Can you talk about what that was like and your satisfaction in helping them put their best foot forward?
JOE BURROW: Yeah, it's an exciting thing to be a part of. He deserves it all. He works really hard for it. He's obviously a great player, great person. To etch his name in history like that is really special, and I'm excited to be a part of it. I know everybody else is, too.
Q. Just like the offensive line takes pride in (indiscernible) how would you say the quarterback takes pride in being part of the wide receivers?
JOE BURROW: Yeah, I take pride in the fact that everybody eats in this offense. Obviously No. 1 is going to get his touches because our offense runs through him. He's our best player, so we're going to get him the ball. But we have so many other weapons that we feel confident in, and whatever the look the defense gives us, the ball can go to so many different places. I take a lot of pride in that.
Q. What does this give you for '25 no matter what happens tomorrow? What kind of tone have you set for '25?
JOE BURROW: It's tough to say. For the next 24 hours probably, then if we don't get in, then after that you don't really think about the last game, you think about the entirety of the season.
Q. (Indiscernible) there's a lot of uncertainty coming up. What's it like looking back on everything (indiscernible)?
JOE BURROW: I thought I'd have my best year. I think I did. I don't think the year after a ligament injury like that is always better. I threw it well this year. I don't think -- I still think I can throw it way better. Early in the season, you're still getting a feel for how that wrist is feeling. You're breaking up scar tissue. You're doing a lot of different things to help it, and it gets better as the season goes. So I expect next year to be better. That's how it was with my knee. That's how ligament injuries typically go. I'm expecting to grind this off-season and take a jump next year.
Q. (Indiscernible).
JOE BURROW: Yeah, it was like a catch for three yards or something, yeah. That was easy.
Q. What kind of year has he had? (Indiscernible)?
JOE BURROW: Yeah, I think he had great for us. That's something that we haven't really had since I've been here is a guy that when everybody is so focused on all of our receivers, doubling them, clouding them, having specific plans, now you've got to worry about that guy matched up on a safety or linebacker, and that guy was so valuable for us all year and a guy that in my opinion we need to bring back.
Q. Is it safe to say you'll be a fan of Aaron Rodgers tomorrow when he's playing the Dolphins?
JOE BURROW: Absolutely. I've been a fan of his for a long time. Watching him growing up, he was one of those guys that you love to watch, and when Monday night, Sunday Night Football came around, you were hoping that he was on it. Hopefully he can help us out tomorrow and break out a big-time game for us.
Q. (Indiscernible).
JOE BURROW: Maybe I'll text him tomorrow if they get the win. I won't text him tonight, though.
Q. What he's done in his career with the quarterback profession, was that an inspiration for you growing up?
JOE BURROW: Yeah, he did. I think, number one, I think he revolutionized how quarterbacks throw the football. I think the way that high-level quarterbacks coach it now, quarterback coaches coach it now, is because of how he did it. So I haven't had to sit down and talk to him about that, but I would love to sit down and talk to him about his journey of his throwing motion, how he figured that out.
I think also he's a really good person to look up to as far as just being yourself and how to handle this whole fame, football thing. It's not easy. We go through a lot of things and adversity, and he's seemed to stay the same through it all, and that's something that I aspire to. I don't necessarily -- you don't have to agree with everything that everybody says or does to have admiration for how they do it.
Q. (Indiscernible).
JOE BURROW: Well, number one, we started this whole thing together. We came in together and we've built this thing from the ground up. You don't want to make a habit of letting great players get out of the building, just like I said earlier in the week. Tee is a great player and a guy that does everything the right way and works really hard for it. When you have a guy like that, you don't -- you just can't let him get out of the building. He's a one-of-a-kind person, one-of-a-kind player, and one that we really count on and is an integral part of what we do around here. Hopefully we can make that happen.
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