MADRID, Spain — The NFL takes over one of the most famous soccer venues on the planet Sunday when the Cincinnati Bengals and Atlanta Falcons meet at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, and Cincinnati coach Zac Taylor arrived with a bold claim about his quarterback.
At his Friday news conference, Taylor said Joe Burrow may well be the best passer anywhere in the world at the moment. The numbers give him cover. Burrow leads the league with 20 touchdown passes against six interceptions, has 2,115 yards through the air and has averaged 302.1 passing yards per game, the top mark among quarterbacks.
He has also been on a tear lately, with 13 scoring throws over his last three outings. The stretch included a Week 8 overtime win over Tennessee, 43-36, in which he piled up 462 passing yards with five scoring tosses and then ran in the deciding score. Cincinnati is 5-2, its best start since 2021.
Burrow and Taylor are in their seventh season together. The Bengals drafted the former LSU star first overall in 2020, one year after Taylor was hired, and Burrow took them to Super Bowl LVI in his second year. His career completion rate of 68.9% ranks first among qualifying passers in league history.
Receivers Tee Higgins and Ja’Marr Chase give Burrow two lead targets; Higgins is second in the league with 726 receiving yards. On defense, Cincinnati added defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence in an offseason trade with the New York Giants, and that front will be tasked with containing Atlanta running back Bijan Robinson, the league rushing leader at 780 yards.
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