Where Joe Burrow sits in ESPN’s MVP rankings so far

Chris Roling

Wed, Dec 14, 2022, 9:34 AM·1 min read

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow is an obvious name on MVP watchlists at this point.

It’s not just about stats or the fact Burrow’s Bengals have won five straight. Much of it has to do with his steadily improving play all season and some strong performances without Ja’Marr Chase, which features breakouts from names like Trenton Irwin and Samaje Perine.

But where Burrow ranks? That’s an interesting conversation and one a team of experts at ESPN attempted to tackle.

There, Courtney Cronin documented that Burrow currently ranks third:

“He has been productive with porous pass protection, ranking first or tied for the lead in completion percentage (60%) and yards per attempt (8.1) while pressured. Since Week 5, Burrow has launched 17 touchdown passes to just four interceptions. The Bengals are on a five-game winning streak with a division title in sight. With a handful of opportunities to cement himself among the front-runners, namely a head-to-head matchup against Allen in Week 17 followed by potentially having the AFC North on the line in Week 18, Burrow has a real shot to shake up the top two.”

That puts Burrow behind Patrick Mahomes of the Chiefs and Jalen Hurts of the Eagles in ESPN’s rankings. It’ll rankle some Bengals fans that Burrow sits behind Mahomes given the fact Burrow just won the head-to-head matchup for the third time and Mahomes just had a three-interception game.

But the good news? Burrow charts on these lists now as he’s playing at an MVP level while elevating the talent around him, as opposed to relying on it. That’s going to keep him in the race the rest of the way and if the Bengals surge to the AFC North and can pick up wins over teams like the Bills and Ravens, he’s got a very good shot at actually winning it.