Clickbait but true: Joe Burrow of the 4-8 Bengals deserves MVP consideration

Football is a team game played by individuals, which means that on occasion an individual can singlehandedly undo the work of an entire team. The kicker who misses a crucial game-winning field goal, the quarterback who throws a crushing pick-6, the defensive lineman who commits a back-breaking penalty … when one player’s failure is the pivot point on which a game is lost, it’s maddening, but at the same time every player realizes that he could be that player one day, too.

The exact opposite scenario is playing out in Cincinnati right now, a strange dynamic where the team is undoing the excellence of the individual. Joe Burrow is playing some of the best football of his career … and the Bengals defense is taking a sledgehammer to all that hard work.

Look, “Joe Burrow of the 4-8 Bengals deserves MVP consideration” is the kind of clickbaity headline that makes everyone hate the media, but it’s not quite as ridiculous as it sounds. The numbers are pretty staggering, starting with the fact that Burrow leads the NFL in passing yards per game (278.1) and touchdowns (30) and ranks fourth in passer rating, behind only Lamar Jackson, Jared Goff and Tua Tagovailoa.

The Bengals as a team rank fifth overall in points scored (27.9), tied with Tampa Bay and behind only Detroit, Buffalo, Baltimore and Washington. And thanks to Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase’s 1,142 receiving yards and 13 receiving touchdowns both lead the NFL.

The problem, quite simply, is that Burrow is playing on a team with an atrocious, nearly league-worst defense. Consider, for instance, the many ways in which Cincinnati is reaching or setting dubious records for losses despite offensive fireworks:

Bengals losses this season
* 2 with 38+ pts (T-most by any team ever)
* 3 with 34+ pts (T-most by any team ever)
* 4 with 33+ pts (most by any team ever)
* 6 with 25+ pts (T-most by any team ever)

— Doug Clawson (@doug_clawson) December 1, 2024

Only Carolina has given up more points per game than Cincinnati’s…

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Author : Yahoo Sports

Publish date : 2024-12-03 14:09:00

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