Joe Burrow turned 29 years old Wednesday. 

He's authored arguably the greatest season in college football history, complete with a Heisman Trophy and an LSU national championship; become the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft and led the Cincinnati Bengals to a Super Bowl appearance; and made two Pro Bowls while winning a pair of NFL Comeback Player of the Year awards along the way.

He's also torn his ACL and MCL, costing him the tail end of his rookie season; suffered another season-ending injury in 2023 when he tore a ligament in the wrist of his throwing hand; sustained a turf toe injury this year that required surgery and a two-plus-month recovery; and been sacked at least 40 times in each of the three seasons he's played at 16 or more games.

"I think I've been through more than most," a reflective Burrow told reporters on his birthday. "And it's certainly not easy on the brain or the body, so just trying to have fun doing it again."

The word "fun" was also used by Burrow three days earlier, when he was asked for his outlook on the rest of the season in the wake of a disappointing 39-34 loss to the Bills that dropped Cincinnati to 4-9 on the year.

"Just go out and play well," said Burrow, who threw four touchdowns in Buffalo's snowy Highmark Stadium but also two interceptions that helped the Bills erase a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit. "Go out and have fun, play football — that's what I love to do, so that's what I'm going to keep doing, and I'm going to keep doing it at a high level."

He talked about embracing the opportunity to put on a show for everyone watching down the stretch. Burrow was asked Wednesday to expound on why that's important to him.

"Number one, I work hard for it," he said. "Number two, this is, at the end of the day, the entertainment industry. I want to go out and play well, and if you're playing well and scoring points and winning games, then it's usually fun to watch."

Just because he wants to have fun and perform, though, doesn't mean he still doesn't yearn to win. He made that clear.

"No, it certainly doesn't change my desire to win," Burrow said. "If I want to keep doing this, I have to have fun doing it. I've been through a lot, and if it's not fun, then what am I doing it for? 

"So that's the mindset I'm trying to bring to the table."

On a day when Burrow admitted "there's just a lot of things going on right now," he did have some fun in the final minutes of his news conference.

He explained that his offensive line gifted him a Pokémon box. He discussed his favorite characters from the iconic franchise, and he burst into laughter when he was asked for his thoughts on "market manipulation" in the Pokémon trading card realm.

Burrow will try to channel that joy the rest of the season, which he spent most of willing his way back to the field in hopes of a return to the playoffs.