Joe Burrow earns his first accolade since coming back from injury and it extends an impressive feat for the Bengals

Bengals QB Joe Burrow’s great game against the Dolphins has been properly recognized.

John Sheeran — Cincinnati Bengals News Writer
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Dec 21, 2025; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow (9) drops back for a pass during the second quarter against the Miami Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium.
© Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow has been named AFC Offensive Player of the Week for his Week 16 performance against the Miami Dolphins.

Burrow completed 25 of his 32 passes for 309 yards and four touchdowns in his fourth game back from his turf toe injury that sidelined him for 10 games.

While this is Burrow’s first AFC Offensive Player of the Week award for the 2025 season, it’s the eighth time he’s earned the weekly honor in his career. He was the recipient in Week 17 of the 2024 season, Week 8 of 2023, and earned it five times from 2021-22.

In fact, Burrow is the main reason why the Bengals have captured a market share of the award no other team can match in recent years.

Bengals expand their recent lead in AFC Player of the Week awards

According to Bengals.com, Cincinnati offensive players have combined for 16 AFC Offensive Player of the Week honors since the start of the 2021 season, which leads the NFL. Burrow’s aforementioned eight honors makes up for half of the 16, and the rest are from names you’d expect.

Bengals AFC Offensive Player of the Week honorees since 2021

  • 2025: Ja’Marr Chase (Week 7), Joe Burrow (Week 16)
  • 2024: Ja’Marr Chase (Week 14), Joe Burrow (Week 17)
  • 2023: Ja’Marr Chase (Week 5), Joe Burrow (Week 8), Jake Browning (Week 13)
  • 2022: Joe Burrow (Week 7), Joe Mixon (Week 9), Joe Burrow (Week 13), Joe Burrow (Week 16)
  • 2021: Joe Burrow (Week 4), Ja’Marr Chase (Week 7), Joe Mixon (Week 12), Joe Burrow (Week 16), Ja’Marr Chase (Week 17)

Ja’Marr Chase trails Burrow with five, Joe Mixon had two, and even Jake Browning got in on the action for a week after he took over for Burrow in 2023. That year was the only season since ’21 Burrow has not been healthy in the last three weeks of the season. Burrow has been the AFC Player of the Week at least once from Week 16-18 in the other four years.

Burrow’s highest peaks have consistently been at the end of the season, and that hasn’t changed despite a topsy-turvy 2025 campaign.

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