Joe Burrow’s teams have trailed in the final eight minutes of regulation on 35 occasions over his NFL career. But for all of his accomplishments, which include a Super Bowl berth and three Pro Bowl nods, the Cincinnati Bengals quarterback has engineered only a single comeback under those circumstances.
The issue was crystalized with last week’s loss to the rival Pittsburgh Steelers, when Burrow’s costly late fumble brought a potential game-winning drive to an abrupt end. Since then, he’s been the subject of nationwide criticism from local sports radio hosts to Hall of Famer and podcaster Shannon Sharpe, who blasted Burrow over a perceived lack of accountability after the Bengals fell to 2-1.
Those critics are quick to point to Burrow’s elite rivals like Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson, who have combined for dozens of comeback wins in the NFL. And yet, Burrow’s struggles in such moments are inconsequential to his foremost predecessor and staunchest defender.
”ll take him over any quarterback in the league in any situation,’ legendary Bengal Ken Anderson said of Burrow during a recent interview with The Daily Mail.
Anderson, the 1981 NFL MVP and a long-time quarterbacks coach, is an undeniable expert on both playing the position and doing so for long-suffering Cincinnati fans. It’s a unique background that makes him a natural ally of Burrow, whom he sees having a banner year in 2026 thanks to an improving defense and offensive line.
‘We know the offense can score,’ Anderson said, ‘and but it’s nice to know that Joe Burrow doesn’t have to be perfect for the Bengals to win.
Joe Burrow is now 1-34 in his career when trailing in the final eight minutes of regulation
The issue was crystalized with last week’s loss to the rival Pittsburgh Steelers, when Burrow’s costly late fumble brought a potential game-winning drive to an abrupt end
Ken Anderson waves to the crowd at an event at Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati
‘I think we’re going to have a pretty good defense,’ he said of a unit that has added All-Pro interior lineman Dexter Lawrence II among several other new starters. ‘I think [the defense] really showed up the first two games, and you know we had a couple miscues in the secondary early last week [against the Steelers]. They gave up a couple easy touchdown passes, but you know I think the personnel that we have on defense they’re going to be very good, and which is nice for the offense.’
Now a 77-year-old Cincinnati-area grandfather, Anderson is well aware that the position and the league have changed since his days. But while remarking on spectacular recent catches by Bengals stars Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, he couldn’t help but envision himself playing in the modern NFL.
‘It’d be kind of fun if I were playing nowadays,’ Anderson said. ‘I was a pretty accurate quarterback and pretty mobile. I think I could have done pretty well today.’
Anderson was, of course, pretty good for his day, too. Along with San Diego’s Dan Fouts, Anderson helped to revolutionize the position with his efficient low-turnover, high-accuracy style from 1971 until 1986.
He played for legendary head coach Paul Brown and was among the first quarterbacks to run assistant Bill Walsh’s West Coast offense – a scheme Walsh later used in San Francisco to win three NFL crowns starting with the 49ers’ victory over Anderson’s Bengals in Super Bowl XVI.
Anderson lead the Bengals to Super Bowl XVI, where they lost to ex-Cincinnati assistant Bill Walsh. It was Anderson who helped Walsh popularize his West Coast offense in Cincinnati
Anderson is pictured with teammate Cris Collinsworth during their 1981-82 Super Bowl run
Anderson fell just shy of enshrinement in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, but he’s never expressed any hard feelings over the snub. Instead, he’s a proud member of the Bengals Ring of Honor, which he sees as sufficient praise for his decorated career.
These days, when he’s not walking his dogs, Anderson runs a foundation aimed at helping adults with developmental disabilities. And he still golfs, which is actually how he got to know Burrow a little bit.
‘He has a golf tournament, playing every year, and you know he will always come up and talk when I go down to training camp practice,’ Anderson said of Burrow. ‘He is he is a great guy that’s shown me a lot of respect, which I really appreciate. And when I’ve needed him to sign a couple things, he’s always taking care of me.’
Anderson also works as a spokesman for Heartflow, a healthcare company aimed at helping people overcome coronary issues. In fact, it was Heartflow that arranged for Anderson’s recent media tour.
He first became aware of the company during an NFL Players Association meeting, where he learned that one in three players die from heart disease. Anderson responded by going to get himself checked.
‘They hooked me up with a cardiologist in Cincinnati who ordered a non-invasive CTA scan, and I had that done, and it was very quick and it was painless,’ Anderson said.
A product of Division III Augustana, Anderson helped revolutionize the quaterback position
Anderson poses for this portrait with his wife Cristy, daughter Megan and son Matt in 1982
As he explained, Heartflow works with AI to create a 3D image of patients’ arteries to detect blockages. This, in turn, makes it easier for cardiologists to monitor potential problems.
‘In my case, they can tell what kind of plaque you have, the amount of plaque, where it’s located,’ he said.
These potential problems would have been much harder to detect without the non-invasive 3D imaging, according to Anderson, who noted that heart disease often omits obvious symptoms.
With that in mind, Heartflow began its GameFilm registry, which is aimed at analyzing the heart health of both former NFL players and the general public.
‘All of a sudden, think everything is okay, and you have an event,’ Anderson said, urging the public to learn more about the program at the company website. ‘So, this is something that’s available, not only to athletes, but everybody.’
Anderson is not facing any imminent heart surgery, nor is he gravely concerned about his cardiovascular health. Instead, he simply plans on continuing to monitor his situation, leaving him time to focus on a Bengals team he thinks could finally bring a Lombardi Trophy to Cincinnati.
‘They continue to get better,’ Anderson said. ‘So, I think this is a playoff team and a team that can go all the way.’
