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 deployed a new offense. But it was still a loss — 52-34 to Gallia Academy. And the outcome was hard for him.

“That told me right away that Joe was out to win,” said Nathan White, then-offensive coordinator and current head coach of Athens. “I’ll never forget that.

“I remember telling him, ‘Man, you played great. This is your first game and you threw for a lot of yards and touchdowns.’ And he wouldn’t hear of it.”

Burrow didn’t lose much during his career. He never lost another regular season game at Athens. At LSU, he went from an unnoticed transfer to a Heisman Trophy winner and national champion.

That’s what makes this current streak the most unprecedented of his career. The Bengals are winless in his last four starts, including Week 10 of last season when he suffered a season-ending wrist injury in the first half. It’s the longest streak of his career at any level.

A win Monday night against the 1-1 Washington Commanders (8:15 p.m. ET, ABC/ESPN+) would not only end the Bengals’ sluggish start, but it would give Burrow the winning feeling he’s lacked for nearly a year.

“It’s been a tough six to eight months and some frustrating and emotional weeks,” Burrow said Thursday.

The 2020 No. 1 overall pick said Week 1 was an emotional game because he was excited to be back on the field after a ligament injury in November that required surgery. The Bengals struggled despite being overwhelming favorites, losing 16-10 to the New England Patriots. Last week, Cincinnati lost 26-25 to Kansas City in a game that ended with a last-second field goal.

Burrow struggled to put his feelings about the loss into words afterward. On Thursday, he was able to articulate why the defeat was so frustrating.

“When you lose a game like that you focus on chances you didn’t capitalize on,” Burrow said.

In some ways it was like his first start in the Athens university team.

In that 2012 season opener, the high school quarterback who still played Joey immediately thrived in White’s offense that spread the ball 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 remembers it well enough. But instead of referring to one 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 after that, we didn’t lose the rest of the (regular season).”

Wade Jarrell, the opponent in that game, didn’t know much about Burrow before that night, but watched from the sidelines as Burrow helped Athens build a 28-21 lead that was erased in the second half. Jarrell told ESPN that the game allows him to joke that it helped spark Burrow’s career.

The following season, Jarrell made it a point to outscore 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 never valued one-on-one confrontations with opposing quarterbacks, even someone like Patrick Mahomes, who led Kansas City to three Super Bowls and played against 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 out of a bad mood.

“You grieve it, especially in a game like this,” 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 from quarterbacks coach to offensive coordinator this offseason, added that Burrow was a very consistent player who had a good week. He also pointed out that players, including quarterbacks, should be judged independently of an outcome.

But results are still results. And for the fourth time in Burrows’ five seasons, Cincinnati is off to an 0-2 start to the season.

From the moment he started playing football until now, teams with Burrow on the field have been known for winning. Against Kansas City, Burrow’s attitude was reminiscent of one of Arrowhead’s playoff games in recent years: showing off and gesturing after big plays, embracing contact and wanting to pull out a win against the best.

Mike Gesicki, a veteran tight end in his first year with the Bengals, has quickly learned that Burrow is always like that. It’s an endearing approach for teammates who want to help Burrow end the longest losing streak of his life.

“He’s a competitor in every aspect of the world,” Gesicki said. “It’s cool to be around. I think it makes everyone better. Because when you’re around a talent like that and you’re a leader like that, you want to be great for him.”