Joe Burrow Explains Why He Looked So Upset During Win Against Raiders

Joe Burrow explained why he was visibly upset on the Bengals’ sideline, despite having a banner day in a crucial victory for his team. 

Burrow, 27, threw five touchdowns in the Bengals’ 41-24 win over the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday, November 3, but the quarterback was caught on camera looking frustrated and disenchanted.

“Maybe I could have not let my emotions show quite as much, but it’s also something that I’ve tried to do more and I know people in the locker room have wanted me to do a little more, whether good or bad,” Burrow told reporters on Tuesday, November 5. “But I can’t show my emotion positively and then when things don’t go well, not let that be known as well.”

After throwing his fifth touchdown of the game, which tied Burrows’ career-high, he was seen on CBS giving “the most melancholy fist bump I’ve ever seen,” according to a viewer on X. 

“I know that people feed off of my emotion in a positive way,” Burrow added. “It’s tough for me. As a quarterback. I play my best when I’m not up and down and pissed and then happy and all that. I play my best when I’m even-keeled. So I pick my spots when I feel like I need to say something, whether positive or negative. 

With a laugh, Burrow admitted, “maybe my demeanor could be a little better sometimes.”

“We played great on Sunday, but I’m not going to ignore when there’s things that I feel like we could have done better,” Burrow added. 

Immediately after the game on Sunday, Burrow also addressed his dour sideline demeanor. 

“I’m not just gonna ignore the bad and dwell on the great that we did today,” he told reporters. “I don’t think that’s a recipe for improvement, I don’t think that’s a recipe for getting better. I’m going to be hard on myself. I’m going to be hard on us to execute the way I feel like we need to execute.”

In an exclusive interview with Us Weekly last month, Bengals wide receiver and Burrow’s former college teammate at LSU Ja’Marr Chase said he’s been actively working to get Burrow out of his “comfort zone.”

“He’s still breaking barriers, trying to be himself and show off more of his personality and stuff,” Chase said. “I try to help him with that, try to get him to open up more. You know, he’s always been the quiet guy. He knows when to talk, but I just want him to talk more often.”

The Bengals return to the field Thursday, November 7 against the Baltimore Ravens.