Steelers legend: Bengals' Joe Burrow will soon be 'in MVP talks'

Ben Roethlisberger may annoy passionate Pittsburgh Steelers fans with his latest take on Cincinnati Bengals star quarterback Joe Burrow. 

"To sit there and actually watch Joe, Joe is one of the elites in the league," the retired signal-caller said on the latest edition of his "Footbahlin with Ben Roethlisberger" podcast, as shared by Sean Keeley of The Comeback. "Like, he is good. His pocket presence. He can run enough. He’s a sneaky good runner. Great decision-making, great throws…I’m telling you what, I don’t think it’s too long until he is in MVP talks, I really believe that. So I can’t say enough about Joe and it hurts me to say that about a division opponent, but I’m not in the division anymore." 

Burrow spent much of the spring and summer of 2021 recovering from the torn ACL and MCL in his left knee he suffered as a rookie and then needed an appendectomy this past July. According to ESPN stats, the 26-year-old nevertheless finished the 2022 regular season sixth among qualified quarterbacks with a 100.8 passer rating, 10th with a 58.8 total QBR, second with a 68.3% completion percentage, tied for second with 35 touchdowns through the air, and fifth with 4,475 passing yards. 

Per StatMuse, Burrow's four career playoff wins are the most notched by any Bengals quarterback in franchise history following this past Sunday's 24-17 victory over the Baltimore Ravens. He completed 23-of-32 pass attempts for 209 yards with one touchdown and a rushing score in that win. 

Both Seth Walder and Bill Barnwell of ESPN noted earlier this week that Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs will likely earn Most Valuable Player honors for the 2022 season. Assuming Roethlisberger is spot-on with his assessment, Burrow may only have to wait 12 months or so to follow in Mahomes' footsteps.