Joe Burrow MVP case after Bengals beat Broncos in NFL Week 17

[Arkansas Bengal]

Kelsey Conway

Cincinnati Enquirer

 

 

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow continues to make a case for the NFL’s Most Valuable Player honor as he led his team to another win at Paycor Stadium on Saturday night.

 

Burrow has normalized throwing 39 completions for 412 yards and three touchdowns so much so that his performance in the Bengals’ thrilling, 30-24 overtime win over the Broncos will be overshadowed by Tee Higgins’ electric performance.

 

Without Burrow’s play in the last two months, the Bengals wouldn’t even have a chance at the postseason. But they do, and that’s why he belongs in the conversation for the MVP award. Right now, it appears to be a three-man race between three standout quarterbacks in Baltimore's Lamar Jackson, Buffalo's Josh Allen and Burrow.

 

 

The last time a non-NFL quarterback won the MVP was in 2006 when running back LaDainian Tomlinson won the prestigious award. Quarterbacks have won 68.5 percent of the NFL MVP awards in league history. For as much as the MVP is an individual award, it’s also a team award.

 

Typically, the MVP is given to the quarterback playing the best on a winning team. That’s why the Bengals not making the playoffs would hurt Burrow’s MVP campaign.

Dallas Cowboys’ defensive star Micah Parsons believes Burrow should be the MVP if the Bengals make the playoffs.

 

“If Joe Burrow takes this team to the playoffs, I don’t even think it should be a question who’s MVP!! Best in the world (right now),” Parsons said on X formerly known as Twitter after the Bengals’ Week 17 win.

 

The Bengals put themselves in a deep hole starting the season 1-3 and even were 4-8 at one point. They were all but dead in the water following the Dec. 1 loss to the Stealers but Burrow – with the help of his star wideouts – has willed the Bengals into relevancy in the playoff hunt.Given some of the Bengals’ defensive issues this year, the special teams errors and the number of one-score losses, it’s truly remarkable that Cincinnati is even in the playoff conversation. At one point in this season, one could argue that the Bengals looked closer to a team picking in the top 10 of the NFL draft than a playoff team.

 

 

 

But here they are with a pulse because of Burrow who now leads the NFL in passing yards, completions and touchdowns. Burrow has completed 423 passes for 4,641 yards and 42 touchdowns this season.

 

“I don’t know that anybody can stand on a field and watch Joe Burrow and say he’s not the best player in the world,” Bengals’ head coach Zac Taylor said of his quarterback. “The clearest thing I can say is I would not trade Joe Burrow for any player in the universe. To me, that’s MVP to me.”

 

After a two-year run in which he led the Bengals to a Super Bowl appearance and followed it up with another trip to the AFC championship game, Burrow put himself on the map as one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL.

 

Then, he suffered a serious wrist injury to his throwing hand that could have impacted his long-term career in a significant way. No other NFL quarterback has suffered that type of injury which is why there was plenty of hesitation heading into this season.

 

Burrow admitted he didn’t feel back to 100 percent until November which marked a year from his extensive surgical procedure. He defied the odds stacked against him once again. He’ll almost surely be voted as the NFL’s Comeback Player of the Year and depending on how the rest of the season shakes out, he could also win the MVP.

 

“It’s a good feeling. I put a lot of work into this to go out and play well every Sunday and when you have conversations with the opposing teams and coaches, and you see comments like that it’s a good feeling. That’s not why you do it but in a season like this, those kinds of things make you feel good, so I appreciate those.”

 

With one game to play in the regular season, a lot can still happen for and against Burrow. If Cincinnati is able to clinch the No. 7 seed in the AFC playoff picture, they would play the Bills on the road in the Wild Card round. This would give Burrow an opportunity to go toe-to-toe with Allen, the leading candidate to win the MVP award.

 

A loss in Pittsburgh would all but ruin Burrow’s MVP odds and that’s just one of the many intriguing storylines as the Bengals get ready to take on the Stealers in Week 18.

But if you ask Burrow’s favorite target, Chase, he believes his quarterback’s performance against the Broncos should make him the leader in the clubhouse for the award.

“I (have been saying) he’s the MVP since last week,” Chase said.  “I think him winning this game right here got him in first place of the race,” Chase said.

 

 

https://www.cincinnati.com/story/sports/nfl/bengals/2024/12/28/joe-burrow-nfl-mvp-case-nfl-week-17-bengals-broncos/77294981007/

[|BlackJesus|]

He's in the right company ...

 

[|BlackJesus|]

[|BlackJesus|]

FanDuel knows ...

 

[|BlackJesus|]

The betting money is shifting fast 🤔 

 

[|SF2|]

The two head to head losses to Lamar will hurt his chances.  The 0-3 start and loss to New England probably sealed our playoff fate and with it his MVP shot. 

[Griever]

 

 

[Griever]

 

[|High School Harry|]

3 hours ago, Griever said:

 

 

Not sure how to take this but I hope the person who printed it's mother is on his X account and is proud of him.

And she's a pansexual. 

[Arkansas Bengal]

https://x.com/i/status/1875607362297590166

 

Gruden thinks Joe should be MVP