The ‘World’s Best Follower’ could be coming to a Madrid museum near you this weekend. That, of course, is according to Cincinnati Bengals coach Zac Taylor.
Joe Burrow arrives in Spain as a midseason MVP winner as his 5-2 Bengals prepare to face the Atlanta Falcons at Santiago Bernanbeu on Sunday. live on Sky Sports.
Burrow holds a league-high 73 completion percentage while throwing for 2,115 yards and a league-leading 20 touchdowns with just six interceptions, his 302.1 yards per game also leads all quarterbacks in the NFL.
Cincinnati’s poster boy comes to Europe playing some of the football of his life.
“His consistency and he doesn’t waste a second trying to get better,” said Taylor, speaking exclusively to Sky Sports, about what makes Burrow special.
“Whether it’s his footwork, his positioning, reading the receiver’s body language, studying the defense he’s going against. He’s unbelievable and he’s playing at a high level this year. We hope to do that again on Sunday.”
Taylor added in Friday’s press conference that Burrow was “probably the best passer in the world right now.”
Between Burrow and a wide receiver group of Tee Higgins and Ja’Marr Chase, the Bengals threaten a three-headed monster rivaled by few in the league.
Higgins ranks second in the NFL with 726 receiving yards while Chase has 492 yards, both on 61 targets apiece as two No. 1 receivers who thrive in the same offense. Together they lead the best passing attack in football.
“Having them both on the same team is pretty luxurious for us,” Taylor said. “And to be able to put them on the same side, on different sides, if the defense is going to pick on just one of them, there’s usually great opportunities for those guys behind them.
“They both have great attention to detail, so we’re able to move them.”
On the other side of the ball, the Bengals are looking to improve a defense that has hampered their championship credentials in recent seasons.
They looked to address as much as possible during the offseason by trading for former New York Giants quarterback Dexter Lawrence.
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Tee Higgins says it will be ‘dope’ to see Kylian Mbappe at NFL Madrid game between Cincinnati Bengals and Atlanta Falcons
“We have a lot of guys up front that are really talented, Dexter certainly helps us lead the game there,” Taylor said.
“He can protect the run and the pass. Teams really have to have a great scheme for him in the run and pass game, so he’s been a great addition for a lot of things.”
Among his main tasks Sunday will be slowing Bijan Robinson, who leads the NFL with 780 rushing yards this season but is without a 100-yard game in Atlanta’s last four games.
Slowing Robinson down is half the battle, such is the foundation he forms for everything Kevin Stefanski wants his offense to be.
“Running back (Robinson) stands out,” Taylor said. “He’s definitely the best in the league. You’ve got to have a great scheme. He can go really fast and then all the things they build off of that, the play action, the layups, the screens.
“Great defensively, the quarterback is great. They do a really good job in that scheme, playing together. And that’s going to make it tough.”
Burrow enjoying Madrid
Bengals quarterback Burrow defended the opportunity to play overseas as he explained how Sunday’s game is helping him fulfill a longtime travel dream.
“It means a lot to me that we’re here. This is my 7th year, and I haven’t been overseas yet, and we keep adding more and more games to try and build the NFL globally. I think it’s worked over the last five years and I hope to add more and keep building. I love being a part of it and I want to help grow the game.”
“This is somewhere I’ve always wanted to go, and so to be able to do it doing what I love, playing football, is really a dream come true,” Burrow said.
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Kylian Mbappe joins Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson to try out NFL gear and take part in a series of drills, with the football superstar left stunned by how tight the jersey was. Watch the full video on the NFL website
Burrow told reporters he spent time visiting the Museo del Prado on Wednesday, with the intention of seeing a museum or two and an art gallery before Sunday’s game.
Such is the way of an NFL superstar, however, that flying under the radar tends not to be easy, even on European soil.
“I ran into some study abroad students from the United States the other day when I was walking around, that was certainly surprising,” Burrow said.
“It’s often a bit more than I expect when I’m in another country, I usually expect to be quite secretive and not be recognized, it’s a bit more than that. But I like being out here because I can feel a bit like a normal person.”
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