Joe Burrow Targets 48 Touchdowns to Pass Andy Dalton
Joe Burrow opened his first news conference of the 2026 season with a clear target: the Bengals quarterback wants the franchise touchdown pass record this year. He said 48 touchdown passes would get him past Andy Dalton, and he answered that benchmark with one word: “Doable.”
Burrow and Dalton
Burrow said he is about 50 touchdown passes away from the record, then was told that 48 would move him ahead of Dalton’s Bengals career total of 204. That record chase gives his season a hard number to track every week, because Burrow enters 2026 with 157 touchdown passes in 77 games and a 68.5 completion percentage.
His best touchdown season came in 2024, when he threw 43, so he would need a jump beyond that pace to set the mark. The target is specific enough to measure and difficult enough to keep every high-scoring stretch in view as the season unfolds.
Bengals Passing Game
Burrow also said the Bengals need to get back to being an explosive offense again. He pointed to a recent shift in how defenses are playing Cincinnati, saying teams are pressing more and using more man coverage after earlier adjustments forced the Bengals to adapt.
“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,” Burrow said. He added, “For a couple of years, teams were playing us a little differently, so we had to adapt and now defenses are starting to turn back the other way. 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.”
That context fits the numbers already on his résumé. In 2021, Burrow had 15 passes of at least 40 yards and finished as the NFL runner-up to Matthew Stafford in that category, then had 10 such throws in 2022. The contrast with the last two seasons explains why the Bengals are talking about restoring the deep passing game instead of just leaning on third down and the red zone.
Flacco and Lawrence
Burrow said Joe Flacco is back as his backup and said he was surprised nobody wanted him after his 2024 play. “I love being around Joe and watching him play. To have somebody behind me who can step in and play the way he did last year, I think will put our team in a good position,” Burrow said.
He also called the Bengals roster the best of his seven years in Cincinnati and said he was fired up about the acquisition of Dexter Lawrence II from the Giants for the 10th pick. Ken Anderson added support for Burrow’s record push, saying, “Heck yeah. The way the passing game is nowadays and he’s showed he’s put up those numbers before,” and, “So I’ve got all the confidence in the world he can do it.”
Anderson also said of Burrow’s completion percentage, “That just shows you how accurate he is,” while adding, “He’s talented, but the work he puts in the offseason to get ready for the season is impressive.” Burrow now has the record in sight, the roster around him has changed, and the number to beat sits at 48.
