Bengals' Burrow ahead of international debut: 'Means a lot' being here
· Yahoo Sports
Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow said "it means a lot" to be in Madrid for his first-ever NFL game abroad as he aims to help the league expand the sport around the world.
"It means a lot to me that I'm here. We're trying to build the game globally and I love being a part of that," Burrow said in a news conference on Friday.
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The quarterback has been very vocal in the past about his wish to play an international game and he will finally get the chance on Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons at the Santiago Bernabéu.
"I love being the only game on TV on Sunday morning when people wake up. We're explosive, we're dynamic, we're fun to watch. We're gonna put on a show on Sunday," he said
Burrow's career has been plagued by unfortunate injuries, while the Bengals missing the play-offs for the past three years. Ahead of the new season, the quarterback insisted he wanted to instil a sense of urgency in the locker room.
Asked how satisfied he was with the urgency shown so far, Burrow said: "Very happy with the work that everybody is putting in, everyone want to be better. Nobody is content with where we're at right now. We're 5-2, but we have to be better than we were yesterday, than we were the day before."
"We have guys that attack every day with that mentality. When you have people like that, that aren't satisfied, then you're just going to continue to get better and better throughout the season and that's what we've done."
The Bengals are hoping to clinch their maiden win on international soil. In 2016, they played out a rare NFL draw, 27-27, against the Washington Commanders (back then Washington Redskins) in London.
In their second trip to London in 2019, they were beaten 24-10 by the Los Angeles Rams.
Coach Zac Taylor said he felt "really good" about the recent practice sessions in Spain and that he feels "our guys are in a good space right now" after getting acclimated to the time difference following a long trip.
Despite the unusual attention from the international media, Taylor stressed that the team is trying to "make it as business as usual as possible."
"You do want to embrace being over here and get to see some of the things the city has to offer. But when it's time to lock in on football, we lock in on football. It's been a pleasant experience for us. Lot more pleasant if we win the game on Sunday," the coach said.