The 'best passer in the world' might be coming to a Madrid museum near you this weekend. That, of course, is according to Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor. Joe Burrow arrives in Spain as an MVP frontrunner across the first half of the season as his 5-2 Bengals prepare to face the Atlanta Falcons at the Santiago Bernanbeu on Sunday, live on Sky Sports.
Burrow holds a league-high completion percentage of 73 while throwing for 2,115 yards and a league-leading 20 touchdowns to just six interceptions, his 302.1 yards per game also topping all quarterbacks in the NFL. Cincinnati's poster boy comes into Europe playing some of the football of his life. "His consistency, and he never wastes a second trying to get himself better," said Taylor, speaking exclusively to Sky Sports, of what makes Burrow special.
"Whether it's his footwork, his placement, reading the body language of the receiver, studying the defense he's going against. He's unbelievable, and he's playing at a high level this year. We're hoping to get that going again on Sunday." Taylor added in Friday's press conference that Burrow was "arguably the best passer in the world right now".
Between Burrow and a wide receiver tandem of Tee Higgins and Ja'Marr Chase, the Bengals threaten a three-headed monster rivalled by few in the league. Higgins ranks second in the NFL with 726 receiving yards while Chase has 492 yards, both from 61 targets apiece as two No 1 receivers thriving on the same offense. Together they spearhead the top passing attack in football.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player "To have them both on the same team is pretty luxurious for us," said Taylor. "And to be able to put them on the same side, different sides, if defenses are gonna single one of them usually there's great opportunities there for those guys behind them. "They both have great attention to detail, so we're able to move them around." On the other side of the ball the Bengals are seeking improvement to a defense that has hindered their Championship credentials in recent seasons.
They sought to addressing as much during the offseason by trading for former New York Giants defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence. "We got a lot of guys up front that are really talented, Dexter certainly helps us lead the play there," Taylor said. "He can defend the run and the pass.
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