National Football League

Bengals-Bucs features first meeting between Joe Burrow, Tom Brady

Updated Dec. 15, 2022 4:11 p.m. ET

Joe Burrow has an obvious respect for his counterpart in Sunday's road game against Tampa Bay and Tom Brady, but the Bengals quarterback isn't letting his first chance to go up against a legend change his normal approach to any game.

"It is what it is," Burrrow said Wednesday of any comparisons between himself and the 45-year-old seven-time Super Bowl champ. "I don't really pay attention to it. He's Tom and I'm Joe."

The two quarterbacks have teams going in opposite directions, which is why Brady and the Bucs are home underdogs Sunday, sitting atop the NFC South standings but with a 6-7 record. The Bengals have surged to five straight wins and seven of eight, so while Burrow has praise for his opponent, his focus is on himself and simply winning the next game.

"It's our 14th game of the season," Burrow said. "Obviously, the greatest quarterback ever is on the other side, but we've got a job to do too, and our job is to go and win, get to 10-4 and move on."

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Burrow opened the season with four interceptions in a loss to the Steelers, but he has thrown just five total in 12 games since, and he's thrown 27 touchdowns, on pace to surpass the 34 he threw last year in leading the Bengals to the Super Bowl.

Tampa Bay's defense just gave up 28 points in the first half Sunday to a 49ers offense led by rookie QB Brock Purdy making his first NFL start, so that unit has a major challenge ahead. Bucs coach Todd Bowles was effusive in his praise for Burrow and what he does well.

"He's great. He's poised in the pocket, he throws a great ball all over the field, he can throw at any angle, he can make any throw, he has some great receivers to throw to," Bowles said. "He has a good understanding of the offense and the game, he can take advantage of what you're trying to give him, he can run the ball when he has to run the ball, he can throw people open, he can use his feet. He has a knack for the game. Certain guys when they come out of college that young have a knack for the game already. He has it."

Tampa Bay will likely face Burrow with a depleted defensive secondary. Safety Antoine Winfield has missed the past two games with an ankle injury, as has safety Mike Edwards (hamstring) and corner Sean Murphy-Bunting (quad). Starting corner Jamel Dean sustained a toe injury last Sunday and is likely to miss the game, which is less than ideal against the Bengals' talented depth at receiver. But Cincinnati is dealing with injuries there as well. On Wednesday, Tyler Boyd was limited by a finger injury, and Tee Higgins and Trent Taylor were limited by hamstring injuries.

Cincinnati is tied with the Ravens atop the AFC North at 9-4, but the Bengals have a daunting remaining schedule, visiting the Patriots next week, then hosting the Bills and finishing the season at home against Baltimore, perhaps with the division title on the line. The Ravens have an easier path, facing the Browns, Falcons and Steelers, so this is a crucial game toward the Bengals' hopes of repeating as division champs.

A victory Sunday would match the Bengals' regular-season win total from last year, but the Bucs are nowhere near their 13-4 record from a season ago. They're simply trying to get healthy and play more like a first-place team. The Panthers and Falcons are only one game behind Tampa in the standings, so the Bucs need every win they can scrap together, and they've had particular difficultly against AFC opponents this season, going 0-4 against the other conference while going 6-3 against their own.

Brady is 7-1 in his career against the Bengals, throwing for 17 touchdowns against just three interceptions, his Patriots teams scoring at least 34 points in all seven wins. This year's Bucs have scored more than 22 points just once all year, so it could be a different story Sunday afternoon. Tampa Bay knows the challenge it's facing but is focusing on improving from within.

"You can't let anybody take away your confidence," Bucs defensive lineman Akiem Hicks said Wednesday. "Whether it's in practice, in-game, you've got to make sure you're operating at a level where you believe in the things you put in the tank ... you've got to believe in yourself. Confidence wavering is something that you can't afford in this league."

Prediction: Tampa Bay's offense might start to click, relatively speaking, but not enough to keep up with Burrow and Ja'Marr Chase against a depleted defense. The drama atop the NFC South only grows with three weeks left in the regular season, and the Bengals make it six straight wins with this one.

Bengals 27, Bucs 24

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Greg Auman is FOX Sports’ NFC South reporter, covering the Buccaneers, Falcons, Panthers and Saints. He is in his 10th season covering the Bucs and the NFL full-time, having spent time at the Tampa Bay Times and The Athletic. You can follow him on Twitter at @gregauman.