NFL.com hit Bengals QB Joe Burrow with some massive disrespect
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow is entering his third season in the NFL and he's already one of the league's best players. Burrow, who rose to national prominence while leading LSU to a national championship in 2019, has completely turned the Bengals around in less than two years. Cincinnati had no business making the Super […]
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow is entering his third season in the NFL and he's already one of the league's best players.
Burrow, who rose to national prominence while leading LSU to a national championship in 2019, has completely turned the Bengals around in less than two years.
Cincinnati had no business making the Super Bowl this year — especially with their porous offensive line.
Burrow, though, brought a championship-winning mindset to the Bengals. That's a big reason why Cincinnati went from 4-11-1 in 2020 to the Super Bowl in 2021.
There aren't many quarterbacks that can have that kind of impact on a franchise. The Bengals had some obvious deficiencies (Burrow was sacked 70 total times last season, including the playoffs), but Burrow was able to help the team overcome those deficiencies and nearly end the season as champions.
After what Burrow did last season, he has to be recognized as at least a top-five NFL quarterback right? Maybe even higher?
Not according to NFL.com's Greg Rosenthal, who ranked the quarterbacks in the NFL shortly after the Bengals' loss to the Los Angeles Rams in the Super Bowl.
Rosenthal ranked quarterbacks based on the 2021 season and he had Burrow at No. 6.
Here's his top five:
- Tom Brady — Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Aaron Rodgers — Green Bay Packers
- Josh Allen — Buffalo Bills
- Justin Herbert — Los Angeles Chargers
- Matthew Stafford — Los Angeles Rams
This list is flawed in a couple of ways (where is Patrick Mahomes?).
I won't argue with Rosenthal's top two — Brady and Rodgers are living legends who will be first-ballot Hall of Famers. And they were both incredible last season, despite nearing the end of their respective careers.
And I'm even ok with Stafford being ahead of Burrow — he led the Rams to a win in the Super Bowl. That's the ultimate goal and I think winning the Super Bowl should carry a lot of weight.
But Allen and Herbert ahead of Burrow? I'm sorry, I just don't see it. Burrow has already accomplished more with less than either of those quarterbacks.
If you're starting a franchise right now and you need a quarterback, the answer is either Mahomes or Burrow. Herbert and Allen would be great options, but they're secondary to Mahomes and Burrow.
I get the feeling that folks like Rosenthal are skeptical of Burrow. And I have no clue why that's the case. Burrow has done nothing but win everywhere he's been.
Burrow will surely prove Rosenthal wrong in 2022. But it won't be because he was slighted by the NFL.com analyst. It'll be because that's just what Burrow does — he competes at an elite level no matter the situation.
Featured image via Kareem Elgazzar/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK
