Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow took the blame for his team missing the playoffs last season, Brenden Deeg of theScore reports.

"If I had played even better, we wouldn't have been in that spot that we were in. I just focus on getting better myself, and I feel like everyone in the locker room feels the same way," Burrow said, according to team reporter Geoff Hobson.

Cincinnati finished the season 9-8 and in third place in the AFC North. The Bengals won their final five games of the season, but it wasn't enough to secure a wild-card spot after a 4-8 start.

Burrow had arguably the best year of his career since entering the NFL as the first overall pick in 2020. He led the league in completions (460), attempts (652), passing yards (4,918), and touchdown passes (43) while throwing only nine interceptions.

The Bengals' defense struggled throughout the season, finishing 25th in points allowed per game and 29th in touchdowns surrendered. Cincy also ranked 27th in EPA/play while racking up only 36 sacks.

Cincinnati's offense carried the team despite Burrow being sacked 48 times. The unit scored 27.8 points per game with a 48.1% success rate, both of which ranked seventh in the league.

"If I go out there and play better than I did last year, then it doesn't matter what goes on anywhere else," Burrow said.

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