Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow has been considered amongst the elite quarterbacks in all of football throughout most of his NFL career. But after a big win in Week 17, Bengals head coach Zac Taylor has no doubt that Burrow is indeed the very best player in the world.
On Saturday, the Bengals yet again found themselves with their back up against the wall. With a loss, the Broncos would clinch a postseason birth and the Bengals would have been officially eliminated from playoff contention.
Luckily, the Bengals had Joe Burrow on their side, who did what he has done all season and had a spectacular game, throwing for 412 yards and three touchdowns in the game.
The game went to overtime. But ultimately, Burrow would keep the team’s postseason chances alive for one more week with a game-winning touchdown pass to Tee Higgins.
Public perception is that the MVP race this season is mostly between Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson and Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen.
However, if you look at who really is the most valuable player to their respective team, it is hard to argue someone like Burrow isn’t well deserving of the honor.
Bengals head coach Zac Taylor argued exactly that in his postgame press conference after the game, explaining how he believes Burrow is the best player on the planet.
“I don’t know that anybody can stand on the field and watch Joe Burrow and say he’s not the best player in the world,” said Taylor. “And you can transfer that argument to Ja’Marr Chase as well. You can argue those two to death. The clearest thing I could say is I would not trade Joe Burrow for anyone in the universe. And so, to me, that is the MVP to me.”
“I don’t know that anybody can stand on the field and watch Joe Burrow and say he’s not the best player in the world…” pic.twitter.com/9yOaPdiRqj
— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) December 29, 2024
If the team success was there for the Bengals, Burrow would undoubtedly be right in the mix with Allen and Jackson for the award.
That being said, it’s fair to argue that the MVP shouldn’t be a team award and that Burrow should very well be near the top of the MVP discussion.
Perhaps people will change their minds on the matter. But for the time being, Zac Taylor is at least supporting his quarterback by declaring him to be the best football player on the planet currently.
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.