Joe Burrow's rare mistakes against Bills may have sunk Bengals' playoff hopes

Five plays later, Bills QB Josh Allen threw a three-yard touchdown to rookie tight end Jackson Hawes. Burrow threw a 25-yard TD pass to wide receiver Tee Higgins on the following drive, but that proved futile. 

The Bills beat the Bengals, 39-34, improving to 9-4. Cincinnati, meanwhile, is now 4-9 and will probably miss the playoffs for a third straight season. Per The Athletic, the Bengals now have a 3% chance of making the postseason.  

Overall, it wasn't a terrible game for Burrow. The QB finished 25-of-36 passing for 284 yards and four TDs. But his two interceptions will overshadow the otherwise solid stat line.

Burrow typically doesn't commit costly turnovers late in games. Entering Sunday's game, he and Los Angeles Chargers QB Justin Herbert were tied for the third-lowest interception percentage (1.7%) in NFL history (via Pro Football Reference). 

However, he may be rusty. After missing nine games because of turf toe in his left foot, Burrow returned in Week 13 against the Baltimore Ravens.

The Bengals hoped Burrow's return would spark an unexpected in-season turnaround. Last season, Cincinnati won its last five games after starting 4-8. With the QB still trying to find his groove after the injury, don't count on that happening.