The NFL Has a New MVP Leader

The NFL Has a New MVP Leader

Joe Burrow has a real case to win the first MVP of his career, and Sunday’s overtime win over the Titans only made it stronger. With the Bengals’ season hanging in the balance, Burrow went 38-of-48 for 462 yards and five touchdowns, then won it himself on a nine-yard scramble in overtime. That gives him 20 touchdown passes through seven games, and Cincinnati is now 5-2. Even before this week, Burrow was completing a league-best 71.7% of his passes and owned the highest PFF grade of any quarterback in the league. He’s putting up the kind of numbers that win MVPs, and he’s doing it with Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins giving him two of the best weapons any quarterback has.

The best part of Burrow’s case is how much he means to his team. Last season showed exactly what the Bengals look like without him, going 1-8 while he was out with turf toe. With him healthy, this offense can score with anybody, and Sunday was proof. Cincinnati put up 43 points even with four turnovers, and Burrow delivered when it mattered most, leading three straight long scoring drives late and in overtime. MVP voters love a quarterback who carries his team, and right now nobody is carrying more weight than Burrow.

There are still a few things working against him. He threw three interceptions against Tennessee, and Josh Allen remains the betting favorite while Brock Purdy is right there with him. Burrow will also need to stay healthy for a full season, something that has followed him his whole career. But if the Bengals keep winning and he keeps stacking up touchdowns at this pace, Burrow is on track for the kind of 5,000-yard, 40-touchdown season that could make him impossible for voters to ignore. If he does it, the MVP is his to lose.