Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow was drafted higher, has more playoff wins, and signed a bigger contract, but Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa has leapfrogged him on the list of the best quarterbacks in the NFL.
Or so say the players who took part in the anonymous voting for the NFL Network’s Top 100 Players list.
Burrow came in at No. 6 on the list last year after leading the Bengals to back-to-back AFC Championship Game appearances and a trip to Super Bowl 56. But his poor play early last year due to a calf injury coupled with the season-ending wrist injury in November resulted in the No. 1 pick in the 2020 NFL Draft falling all the way to No. 39 this year.
Tua Tagovailoa Races Past Joe Burrow on Top Players List
Tagovailoa, meanwhile, made one of the biggest leaps on the countdown, skyrocketing 46 spots from his debut spot at No. 82 in 2023 all the way to No. 36, landing three ahead of Burrow.
When the NFL tweeted out four sample ballots earlier this month, one player had Burrow ranked No. 9.
Some ballots from this year's #NFLTop100 voting 👀
What stands out to you? pic.twitter.com/bDrDDFvF6d
— NFL Films (@NFLFilms) July 19, 2024
The network collected the ballots late in the season after Burrow had his season-ending wrist surgery.
And while Burrow wasn’t referencing the Top 100 specifically, the comment he made on the “Pardon My Take” podcast earlier this month sounds prescient.
“You don’t play football, people forget about you,” Burrow said. “If you’re not out there and people aren’t watching you, then there’s nothing to talk about. I’m going to give people something to talk about this year.”
What do PFN Bengals beat writer Jay Morrison and Dolphins beat writer Adam Beasley think of the rankings?
Jay Morrison on Burrow’s NFL 100 Ranking
Burrow at No. 39 is ludicrous, regardless of who occupies Spots Nos. 1-38. But to rank Tagovailoa three spots higher than him is another level of absurdity.
I wonder who is scoffing louder, Bengals fans or NFL general managers.
If you polled the other 30 GMs and asked them whether they would rather have Burrow or Tagovailoa — with full knowledge of each quarterback’s injury issues — the results would favor Burrow in a landslide.
Dolphins GM Chris Grier might even pick Burrow if he was guaranteed anonymity.
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The quarterbacks’ numbers are not that far apart. Tagovailoa has a better overall winning percentage, but Burrow has been better in the tougher environments on the road, going 16-9 the last three seasons with a .640 winning percentage that is fourth best in the league.
Tagovailoa is 12-14 away from Miami.
Burrow has a lot more touchdown passes (106 to 82), but he also has a lot more attempts (2,146 to 1,677). Tagovailoa has slightly better numbers in yards per attempt (7.7 to 7.4) and expected points added (54.91 to 51.72).
But the eye test heavily favors Burrow, and so does perhaps the most important stats of all: playoff participation and performance. Burrow is 5-2 in postseason games, while Tagovailoa is 0-1.
Adam Beasley on Tagovailoa’s NFL 100 Ranking
Talk about recency bias.
Yes, Tagovailoa’s best in 2023 was certainly better than what Burrow put on tape a year ago.
But it took almost the perfect storm: Tua had his first healthy season, Tyreek Hill put together a career year, and Mike McDaniel surprised the league with dynamic new wrinkles to the Shanahan system.
Burrow, meanwhile, endured horrendous injury luck that limited him to just 10 games and 15 touchdown passes.
Of course, Tua was better. Burrow was barely available.
KEEP READING: 2024 NFL QB Rankings
And if Tagovailoa is now the more durable of the two 2020 NFL Draft classmates, then certainly, this ranking is justifiable. But the truth is Burrow’s best is better than Tagovailoa’s best. And when the lights are brightest, Joe Cool has proven he can handle the heat. Tagovailoa has not.
Burrow is 5-2 in seven playoff starts — including the 2021 AFC Championship Game — with nine touchdowns, four interceptions, and 1,826 yards.
Tagovailoa has made it to the postseason healthy just once, and the moment (and elements) proved to be too big for him. He completed 20 of 39 passes for 199 yards and a 63.9 passer rating in the Dolphins’ Wild Card Round loss to the Kansas City Chiefs back in January.