Joe Burrow Eyes Bengals Career Record, But It Would Take Setting Another Record To Achieve It in 2026

Joe Burrow’s focus has always been on team success, but the Cincinnati Bengals quarterback spent some time at the end of his Wednesday press conference listing off some personal goals.

Such as winning an MVP, a Super Bowl MVP and breaking the franchise record for career touchdown passes.

Burrow specifically targeted Andy Dalton’s touchdown record of 204 as a goal for this season, guessing he was about 50 away.

“That would be nice to break this year,” he said.

When it informed he’s 48 shy of breaking it, Burrow offered a one-word response:

“Doable.”

Burrow’s career high – and franchise record – is 43 in a season, which he set in 2024. He also ranks second (35 in 2022) and third (34 in 2021) on the team’s all-time list.

The most touchdown passes Burrow has thrown in any 17-game span is 45. Those came in his most recent 17 games, starting with the 2024 home win against the Raiders in Week 9 and continuing through last year’s season finale against the Browns.

During that 17-game stretch, Burrow had one game where he failed to throw any touchdowns (24-0 loss to the Ravens last year) and three were he only tossed one.

That’s just three TDs in a four-game span in the middle of the best span of his career.

So, yeah, it does sound doable.

History suggests it can be done, but it’s rare.

Only five quarterbacks have thrown for at least 48 touchdowns in a season, with Peyton Manning accomplishing it twice.

Manning has the record with 55 while playing for the Broncos in 2013. He also had 49 in 2004 for the Colts.

Tom Brady had 50 for the Patriots in 2007, while Patrick Mahomes had 50 for the Chiefs in 2018.

Dan Marino (Dolphins, 1984) and Aaron Rodgers (Packers, 2020) each had 48.

All six of those performances resulted in division titles, while five of them led to at least the conference championship game.

Manning and the Broncos, Brady and the Patriots and Marino and the Dolphins all reach the Super Bowl and lost.

Mahomes and Rodgers lost in their conference title games. And Manning and the Colts lost in the divisional round.

Burrow clarified that winning an MVP or Super Bowl MVP are more long-term aspirations, unlike the Bengals franchise record.

“All those things, I'm not necessarily sure I would say it's a seasonal goal of mine would be to do that, because you never know how things will play out,” Burrow said. “As far as winning the MVP, a lot of things have to go right. I'd like to win one eventually for sure."

But at the same time, Burrow did predict the Bengals would win it this year.

Burrow’s 157 passing touchdowns are the third most by a quarterback in the first 77 games of his career.

Mahomes threw 186, and Marino had 176.

Rodgers (152) and Andrew Luck (152) are fourth and fifth on the list.

If Burrow plays all 17 games this season, he might be able to sneak into second for the second most TDs thrown in the first 94 games of a career.

Mahomes’ 217 is likely out of reach.

Marino had 206, which means Burrow could pass him with 50 TDs.

Dalton’s franchise record 204 touchdowns came in 133 games, an average of 1.5 per contest.

Burrow averages a little more than two per game (2.04), while Carson Palmer averaged 1.6.

Ken Anderson, who is second on the franchise list with 197, averaged a tad over one per game (1.03).

While Burrow said the record is a personal goal this season, he’s more focused on the success of the offense overall.

"We've got to be more explosive,” he said. “We've been great in third down and red zone situations, but we've got to get back to being the explosive offense that we were in '21 and '22.

“For a couple of years there, teams were playing us a little differently, so we had to adapt,” Burrow continued. “Now defenses are starting to turn back the other way, where they are pressuring more and playing a little more man, so we have to go back to burning them and becoming an explosive offense again."

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