Cris Collinsworth talks Cincinnati's love for Joe Burrow, Pete Rose and Burrow's bedtime

NBC Sunday Night Football analyst Cris Collinsworth, a former Bengals receiver, spoke during the third quarter of the Week 9 broadcast of Cincinnati's 24-18 win against the Buffalo Bills about quarterback Joe Burrow's status among fans in the Queen City, and marveled at Burrow's bedtime during the NFL season.

"The only one that Joe (Burrow) will never unseat as far as loyalty in this town was homegrown being Pete Rose. Right? I mean, that was different," Collinsworth said. "But, this guy is beloved here, and can do no wrong. And goes to bed at 8 o'clock during the season. How about that? Twenty-six years old and is so dedicated to his craft (that he) goes to bed at 8 p.m."

"You mentioned the 8 o'clock (bedtime) and he told us that last year," play-by-play announcer Mike Tirico said. "So you always want to go back to your notes and make sure they're still accurate. … So we said, 'Joe, you still going to sleep at 8?' He said, 'Well actually, this week 7 o'clock. Because he wasn't feeling all that great early in the week."

"The only time I ever went to bed that early when I was his age was when I was gonna go out at midnight," Collinsworth joked. "I mean, let's face it. He's a pretty remarkable young man. And he told us, 'You can't do it year-round, right?' But during the season, that's what he does."

Burrow certainly endeared himself to one young fan after the game by handing the fan a game ball:

Collinsworth was trending on Twitter/X during the game. He also debated late in the first half with rules analyst Terry McAulay whether Bills quarterback Josh Allen should've been penalized for intentional grounding.

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This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cris Collinsworth talks Joe Burrow, Pete Rose and Burrow's bedtime