CINCINNATI -- Joe Burrow should have been happy.
It was his first varsity start for Athens High. As a sophomore, he threw for four touchdowns as the team ran a new offense. But it was still a loss -- 52-34 to Gallia Academy. And the outcome didn't sit well with him.
"That let me know right away that Joe was about winning," said Nathan White, the then-offensive coordinator and current Athens head coach. "I will never forget that.
"I remember telling him, 'Man, you played great. This is your first game and you threw for a bunch of yards and touchdowns.' And he wanted to hear none of it."
Throughout his career, Burrow hasn't done much losing. He never lost another regular-season game at Athens. At LSU, he went from an unheralded transfer to a Heisman Trophy winner and national champion.
That's what makes this current stretch the most unprecedented of his career. The Bengals have no wins in his past four starts, including Week 10 last season when he suffered a season-ending wrist injury in the first half. That's the longest such stretch in his career at any level.
A win on Monday night against the 1-1 Washington Commanders (8:15 p.m. ET, ABC/ESPN+) would not only end another slow start for the Bengals but also give Burrow a winning feeling that has evaded him for nearly a year.
"It's been a tough six to eight months and a frustrating couple of weeks, an emotional couple of weeks," Burrow said Thursday.
The 2020 No. 1 overall pick said Week 1 was an emotional game since he was so excited to be back on the field after his November ligament injury that required surgery. The Bengals struggled despite being massive favorites and lost to the New England Patriots 16-10. Last week, Cincinnati fell to Kansas City 26-25 in a game that ended with a last-second field goal.
Afterward, Burrow struggled to put his feelings about the loss into words. On Thursday, he was able to articulate why the defeat was so frustrating.
"When you lose a game like that, you fixate on opportunities that you didn't hit," Burrow said.
In a way, it was similar to his first varsity start at Athens.
In that 2012 season opener, the high school quarterback who still went by Joey immediately flourished in White's offense that spread the ball around and featured an inside zone running scheme. He was 20-of-30 passing for 227 yards, three touchdowns and a rushing score, according to a report in the Athens Messenger.
And Burrow still remembers it well enough. But instead of referencing any of the touchdowns, the first play that comes to mind is a fumbled snap.
"We weren't very good that day," Burrow told ESPN on Thursday. "But then we didn't lose again the rest of the [regular season]."
Wade Jarrell, the opposing quarterback in that game, didn't know much about Burrow before that night but watched from the sideline as Burrow helped Athens build a 28-21 lead that was erased in the second half. Jarrell told ESPN the game allows him to joke that it sparked Burrow's career.
The next season, Jarrell made it a point to outperform Burrow each week. One week, Jarrell scored six touchdowns. He thought that would be good enough to win his own battle. Unfortunately for him, Burrow threw for eight that same weekend, according to the Ironton Tribune.
As a pro, Burrow has never put stock in individual matchups against opposing quarterbacks, even someone such as Patrick Mahomes, who has led Kansas City to three Super Bowls and faced Burrow and the Bengals twice in the AFC Championship Game.
On Sunday, Burrow finished with a 65.5 Total QBR compared to Mahomes' 30.8, the fourth lowest of his career, according to ESPN Research. But Bengals offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher said it still wasn't enough to keep Burrow from being in a bad mood.
"You grieve it, particularly in a game like that," Pitcher said. "You get angry about what could have been. And then it's over. And then you move on. I think he does that."
Pitcher, who was promoted to offensive coordinator from quarterbacks coach this offseason, added that Burrow was a very consistent player who had a good week. He also pointed out that players, quarterbacks included, need to be evaluated independent of an outcome.
But the results are still the results. And for the fourth time in Burrow's five seasons, Cincinnati is facing an 0-2 start to a season.
From the time he started playing football until now, teams that have Burrow on the field have been known for winning. Against Kansas City, Burrow's demeanor was reminiscent of one of the playoff games at Arrowhead in recent years -- flexing and gesturing after big plays, embracing contact and wanting to find a victory against the best.
Mike Gesicki, a veteran tight end in his first year with the Bengals, has quickly learned Burrow is always that way. It's an endearing approach for teammates looking to help Burrow end the longest losing streak of his life.
"He's a competitor in every aspect of the word," Gesicki said. "It's cool to be around. I think it makes everybody else better. Because when you're around talent like that and you're a leader like that, you want to go be great for him."