Joe Burrow led the Cincinnati Bengals to another thrilling win, this time in overtime against the Denver Broncos. The Bengals won 30-24 to keep their playoff hopes alive, and their quarterback was praised a lot for his performance against a tough defense.
Burrow was 39 of 49 passing for 412 yards and three touchdowns against the Broncos. He also became the first quarterback in NFL history to throw for 250+ yards and three touchdowns in eight straight games.
Joe Burrow Gets Candid on Being MVP Candidate
In 16 games this season, the Bengals star has thrown for 4,641 yards, 42 touchdowns, and eight interceptions while completing 69.8% of his throws. Burrow has the third-best passer rating (109.8) in the league this year and is averaging a league-high 290.1 passing yards per game.
Here are some of the reactions from the NFL world, including Micah Parsons talking about Burrow being in the MVP race after his sensational performance against the Broncos.
Joey
BBBBBBRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR
Yall right
MVP isn’t over (that’s on me)
— Dan Orlovsky (@danorlovsky7) December 29, 2024
“Holy s***… Are MVP and MBP voters paying attention to the history we’re witnessing?” Pat McAfee wrote via his account on X (formerly known as Twitter).
Bengals win. Unbelievable.
Joe Burrow's squarely in the MVP race.
What he's overcome this year … and tonight …
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) December 29, 2024
“If Joe Burrow takes this team to the playoffs, I don’t even think it should be in question who’s MVP!! God d***! Best in the world rn!” wrote Parsons via X.
They will probably give the MVP to Lamar Jackson or Josh Allen —but Joe Burrow is the best player in the league
— Will Compton (@_willcompton) December 29, 2024
The 28-year-old quarterback appreciated the support from people who think that he deserves to be an MVP candidate alongside Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen.
“When you have your peers standing up for you, and you know, I got a lot of respect for Micah, and I’ve seen the things that he said about me,” said Burrow. “You know, that makes you feel good. You know, I put a lot of work into this to go out and play well every Sunday.”
The Bengals star continued, “When you have conversations with the opposing team and coaches, and you know, you see comments like that, you know, it’s a good feeling. That’s not why you do it, but in a season like this, those things make you feel good, and so I appreciate those.”
"You see comments like that, it's a good feeling. I appreciate those."
Joe Burrow on Micah Parsons, his teammates and other coaches/players around the NFL stumping for him as MVP. #Bengals @fox19 pic.twitter.com/p6eYKQspSg
— Jeremy Rauch (@FOX19Jeremy) December 29, 2024
The Bengals are 8-8, and if they had even won their division, Burrow could have very well won the MVP award. He’s having a historic season, but constant failures from his defense have let the team down.
Cincinnati could have easily lost to the Broncos as well, but Denver failed to capitalize on opportunities in overtime. Tee Higgins’ three-touchdown performance ultimately helped the Bengals win, and the AFC North team is on a four-game winning streak heading into Week 18.
Bengals Still Need a Lot of Luck To Make Playoffs
The Bengals have done well in keeping their season alive with four straight wins, but the job is far from over. Even if Cincinnati wins in Week 18 against the Pittsburgh Steelers, it’s very likely they won’t make the playoffs.
Here’s the list of results Burrow’s team needs to go in their favor to play in the postseason:
- Miami Dolphins have to lose at least one of their two remaining games.
- Indianapolis Colts have to lose at least one of their two remaining games.
- Broncos to lose to the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 18.
- Bengals to win in Week 18 against the Steelers.
The Colts’ remaining fixtures are against the New York Giants and Jacksonville Jaguars, both of which are winnable games. The Dolphins have to face the Cleveland Browns and New York Jets on the road and are quite likely to drop at least one game in cold weather as they have to possibly play without Tua Tagovailoa.
The Broncos will face the Chiefs’ backups in Week 18, as Kansas City has already locked up the AFC’s No. 1 seed. Denver still has the best chance of making the playoffs out of the remaining teams in the AFC.
Burrow has done a tremendous job this season, but his efforts may be in vain. It will be interesting to see how the last two weeks play out in the regular season, as no team is looking forward to facing an in-form Bengals team in the first round of the playoffs.