The Cincinnati Bengals are still in the playoff hunt entering the final week of the NFL season.
Quarterback Joe Burrow has been a big reason why the team is still in contention, but Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers, he can make some individual history.
Burrow currently has 4,641 passing yards and 42 touchdowns thrown so far this season. If he gets at least 359 yards and three passes to the end zone, he’ll be just the fifth quarterback in league history to finish with 5,000 yards and 45 touchdowns.
Pro Football Hall of Famer Dan Marino (1984), the retired Drew Brees (2011) and Peyton Manning (2013) plus Patrick Mahomes (2018) are the only others on that illustrious list, per NBC Sports.
Pittsburgh boasts the 11th-best defense in the league, yet it ranks just 23rd against the pass. So Burrow may actually have a legitimate shot at reaching the ambitious stat line.
The Bengals passer threw for 412 yards and three scores in the team’s Week 17 overtime victory over the Denver Broncos. He’s also averaging 322.6 yards per game in his last five contests and has thrown at least three touchdowns in the last eight.
If Burrow does it again against Pittsburgh, he’ll join Tom Brady as the only two passers in NFL history to have done so in nine consecutive games.
A massive performance by Burrow will be critical in attempting to clinch Cincinnati the final berth in the AFC side of the playoffs.
Currently, in the ninth spot, the team needs a win plus losses by Denver and the Miami Dolphins on Sunday to reach seventh.
