When the Bengals missed the playoffs last season, fingers were pointed at the defense as the reason why the team failed to advance.
The unit ranked 25th in points and yards allowed, which led to the team going 9-8 despite scoring the sixth-most points in the league. Defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo was dismissed at the end of the year and Al Golden was hired in an attempt to get more out of the group.
Quarterback Joe Burrow shared a different view of things during a recent press conference. Burrow led the league in passing yards and touchdowns while completing more than 70 percent of his passes, but he said he put falling short of the postseason on his shoulders.
“If I had played even better, [we wouldn’t have been](https://www.bengals.com/news/how-joe-burrow-is-working-on-an-even-better-encore-to-one-of-nfl-s-great-years-some-people-might-be-happy-with-that-season) in that spot that we were in,” Burrow said, via the team’s website. “I just focus on getting better myself, and I feel like everyone in the locker room feels the same way. If I go out there and play better than I did last year, then it doesn’t matter what goes on anywhere else.”
One can quibble with Burrow’s belief that he can reach a level of play that makes the defense’s performance irrelevant, but the Bengals are unlikely to have any complaint about his distaste for resting on his laurels.