Joe Burrow on the Cincinnati Bengals reminds Former NFL quarterback and ESPN analyst Tim Hasselbeck of Matthew Stafford on the Detroit Lions.

And not in a complimentary way.

“In some ways for me, it feels like Matthew Stafford early on in Detroit,” Hasselbeck said on NFL Live Tuesday afternoon. “While there’s talent, and you think wow, this team could be really good, this quarterback is definitely a Super Bowl caliber quarterback, but like, man they just organizationally can’t get it done. Can’t be competitive with the elite organizations in the league.

“That’s just what it’s starting to feel like to me with Burrow’s era in Cincinnati.”

"It feels like Matthew Stafford early on in Detroit. … They just organizationally can't get it done. … That's just what it's starting to feel like to me with Burrow's era in Cincinnati."

—Tim Hasselbeck on the Bengals' struggles over the years 🏈 pic.twitter.com/W0yrBFIuUN

— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) May 12, 2026

It’s clear Hasselbeck doesn’t have a lot of faith in the Bengals making the most of Burrow. The comparison to Stafford derives from when the current Los Angeles Rams QB was once the franchise signal-caller for the Lions for over a decade. Stafford was eventually traded to the Rams in 2021, and defeated Cincinnati in his first Super Bowl to cap off his first year away from Detroit.

A great QB held down by an inept organization is what Hasselbeck is getting at. There’s certainly evidence to support his feelings regarding the Bengals, but this comparison is, objectively, poorly drawn.

Bengals are not wasting Joe Burrow quite like the Lions wasted Matthew Stafford

If the goal is winning a Super Bowl, then reaching and winning in the playoffs is pretty damn high on the priorities list.

Stafford never did that with Detroit. The Lions not only had an overall losing record with the reigning MVP under center, they were 0-3 with him in postseason games.

They never made it past the first weekend of the bracket, and were blown out more times than not. Cincinnati has been the exact opposite with Burrow in January.

The Bengals are 5-2 with Burrow in the playoffs, and have made the same number of trips in his first six years as Detroit did during Stafford’s first six seasons. Stafford’s Rams barely squeaked by Cincinnati in Super Bowl LVI, which was Burrow’s first postseason defeat. His second would come at the hands of Patrick Mahomes in the AFC Championship Game the following year.

Burrow and the Bengals missing the playoffs the last three years stands out in a what-have-you-done-for-me-lately environment. Despite being eliminated in three consecutive years, Burrow is still 9.5 games above .500 as a starter. Stafford was seven games below .500.

Burrow is further ahead of Stafford after the sixth-year checkpoint

Stafford and Burrow are two different talents at the position, but one of them has been considerably more successfully relative to the other to start his career. The former has experienced significantly more winning since joining his new team, which validates how much the Lions were squandering their window with him.

Cincinnati has had its bumps in the road, but this comparison is just not fair to the club. Burrow has been supported with coaching continuity and a top-tier supporting cast of weapons. There have been roster shortcomings outside of the playmakers on offense, but the two-time Comeback Player of the Year has proven he can win the important games with the Bengals.

For whatever reason, that doesn’t matter to Hasselbeck, who won one of his five career starts during his four total seasons in the NFL.

It’s no secret how Cincinnati gained this reputation. It proves to be mighty difficult for the franchise to escape, and there remains business principles that keep the team from having the same consistent success as other prominent contenders.

This comparison takes that to an inaccurate level, and must be called out for doing so.