Joe Burrow issues alarming update ahead of Super Bowl 56

Ahead of Super Bowl 56, Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow made a shocking admission about his focus as they prepare for the final game of the season. Burrow admitted to reporters that he’s had trouble blocking out external distractions since arriving in Los Angeles, and that he has yet to settle in to the moment.

Joe Burrow gives self-update on Super Bowl prep

“Joe Burrow said it’s been harder to block out the distractions since they’ve arrived in L.A.,” detailed NFL Network’s James Palmer. “He’s hoping once their normal practice schedule kicked in, which happened this afternoon, they’ll get settled back in.”

The young star from LSU shared a moment of honesty on his Super Bowl preparation that most players wouldn’t acknowledge. The media hype and overall circus that takes place in the weeks leading up to the Super Bowl are unlike anything else in the NFL, and most players have to adjust to the building pressure of playing one final game. If any player seems capable of handling the pressure, it would be the former Heisman-winning national champion Joe Burrow.

However, not even the player nicknamed “Joe Chill” is apparently immune to the pressure of playing in the Super Bowl. His admission that he hasn’t been able to block out distractions might be cause for some concern, but overall it’s a unique look into just how big of a deal the Super Bowl is. As Burrow said, with some normalcy in his practice routine he expects to be ready to go — even if his first week of preparation was a rough one.

Andrew Whitworth on Joe Burrow

After first spending time with Burrow while they recovered from injury, Rams veteran lineman Andrew Whitworth shared his takeaways and gave a glowing review for the young quarterback. The pair of NFL talents both played for LSU, although the 40-year-old Whitworth never had a chance to meet him prior to his NFL career.

“Those relationships have been great to bond and cultivate,” said Whitworth. “And you know what, it gave me a chance to get an inside vision of what that guy’s life is like. I’ll never forget, the next day, Zac Taylor, he talked to me and said, ‘Joe told me he came over’ and he was like, ‘how different is this guy?’ And I said, ‘man, you got a special one.’ We all knew from the talent and the ability you’d seen him play with in college how good he was going to be, but sitting with him for just that full day, I realized this guy’s going to be a really, really special quarterback for quite some time.”