NFL Twitter Calls Out Bengals' Joe Burrow for 4 TO in 1st Half vs. Steelers

The Cincinnati Bengals have fallen back to earth.

The reigning AFC champions had a disastrous first half in Sunday's opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers, and many of their struggles started with Joe Burrow.

The star quarterback went 11-of-17 for 109 yards and three interceptions, and he lost a fumble in the first quarter. His first throw of the game was intercepted by Minkah Fitzpatrick and returned for a touchdown, which set the tone for what was to come.

As one would expect, social media was having a field day with Burrow's terrible, horrible, no good, very bad half.

The 25-year-old didn't become a pumpkin overnight. As a rookie, he was averaging 268.8 yards per game before suffering a major knee injury. He returned in 2021 to lead the NFL in completion percentage and adjusted yards per attempt (9.0).

Two quarters don't erase all of that, and the common consensus didn't have Burrow alongside Patrick Mahomes and Aaron Rodgers as one of the league's top signal-callers.

NFL.com's Marc Sessler and The Athletic's Mike Sando ranked him sixth at the position. The Ringer's Steven Ruiz put him at No. 9, while Bleacher Report's Brent Sobleski was a little more bullish and listed him at No. 4.

After coming so close to helping the Bengals win their first Super Bowl last season, Burrow might be pressing a bit right out of the gate. He said Thursday on the Pat McAfee Show that simply reaching the Super Bowl didn't leave him satisfied.

A Week 1 matchup with a division rival is bound to get the juices flowing too.

If recent history is any indicator, you don't want to bet against Joe Burrow. As bad as Sunday's first half was, it shouldn't signal a larger concern for Cincinnati.