With Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals in town, I was reminded of an early Burrow performance in 2021 that gave me a feeling of admiration as a Chicago Bears fan. One that made me believe Burrow would live up to the pre-draft hype for the Bengals and one that frustrated me as a Bears fan.
It was Week 5 against the Green Bay Packers. Burrow completed 26-of-28 for 281 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions. He was just weeks into his first full season (after he tore his ACL in his rookie year), yet he looked the part as he dueled with Aaron Rodgers and the Packers in an overtime affair in Cincy.
The Bengals lost, and Burrow wasn’t perfect, throwing two interceptions. But Burrow looked the part and proved it as the season progressed. The Bengals would reach the Super Bowl that year, and Burrow out-dueled Patrick Mahomes in the AFC Championship at Arrowhead Stadium to get them there.
Like Burrow, Caleb Williams was a Heisman Trophy winner and the consensus top selection in the NFL Draft. Like Burrow, Williams has been tasked with saving a franchise tortured by futility at the quarterback position.
Whether Williams will be able to meet those expectations as Burrow did remains to be seen. So, what advice does Burrow have for Williams?
Keep on, keeping on.
Joe Burrow Believes Caleb Williams Has the Recipe for Success
Since being drafted by the Bears, Williams has been as level-headed and ready to learn as they come, something Burrow believes is the key to the rookie’s success.
“I think that’s what separates people is when you can maintain a levelheaded, even-keel aura, personality, whatever you want to call it,” Burrow said Thursday. “There’s going to be ups and downs. But can you come back the next day and go about your process the same way you did the week before whether you won or whether you’ve lost. Whether you threw four picks or you had five touchdowns. You just have to have the mindset at the end of the day that you’re going to be better.”
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