Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow has had an excellent season, leading the league in a number of statistical categories. But even he knows that his excellent play isn’t quite enough to be named the MVP of the league this time around.
Burrow, who leads the NFL with 4,641 passing yards and 42 passing touchdowns, has kept an otherwise struggling Bengals team in the mix of potentially sneaking into the postseason.
Based on stats alone, Burrow has all of the stats necessary to be a runaway MVP candidate.
When you look at the definition of the MVP, Burrow has a very good argument of being the most valuable player to his respective team more so than anyone in football.
However, the NFL MVP award has traditionally taken team success into account as well. And as a result, the likes of Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson are currently the favorites to win the award.
When asked about his chances of winning the MVP award, Burrow admitted that he doubts he has any real shot, citing the lack of team success as the biggest reason.
“I doubt it,” said Burrow during a press conference on Tuesday. “Usually you gotta win your division. It is what it is. That’s how it’s voted. I don’t necessarily disagree with it I would say.”
The harsh reality of the situation is that unless Burrow gets the Bengals into the postseason, he likely won’t have any chance of winning the award over Allen or Jackson, who have each had excellent years in their own right.
In order for that to happen, the Bengals need to win in Week 18 against the Pittsburgh Steelers and have both the Denver Broncos and Miami Dolphins lose their respective games.
Even if this ends up happening, Burrow still may not win the award over Allen or Jackson. But luckily, it seems like Burrow has already come to that realization.
About Reice Shipley
Reice Shipley is a staff writer for Comeback Media that graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in Sports Media. He previously worked at Barrett Sports Media and is a fan of all things Syracuse sports.