We can enjoy the Bengals QB Joe Burrow and the cool factor he brought to Cincinnati without getting carried away. Burrow is an outstanding NFL running back. but in no way is he better than the bosses Patrick Mahomes.
The Bengals were great against the Buffalo Bills last week. They went to Western New York and salted the Snow Bills in the slush. However, as impressive as the Bengals were, that game was won in the trenches. They dominated the Bills at both sides of the conflict line during that 27-10 victory.
Why the QB controversy?
Burrow ran for two touchdowns to start the game and was mostly quiet the rest of the afternoon. Still, when it came time to talk about the game on ESPN’s Get Up, Ryan Clark and Dan Orlovsky were ready declare Burrow the best running back in the NFL. How quickly people forget that Mahomes played the entire second half of the Chiefs’ 27-20 divisional-round win against the Jacksonville Jaguars on one leg.
Orlovsky backed up his argument by saying he still believes Mahomes is the best player in the NFL. His argument for Burrow being the best running back is that he is fundamentally the loudest player in the league at that position. What Mahomes, Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson bring to the game in size, elusiveness and arm strength, Burrow brings the same level of talent to the fundamentals of the running back. Anticipation, timing, accuracy, you know all the things Mahomes excels at.
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What blinds people when they watch Mahomes are instinctive jerks and his ability to launch the ball from different angles and still hit the target. But the only reason he can do that style-the pitch bending is due to the fact that his foundations are so good.
Mahomes can put the ball anywhere he wants on the field. Never forget, in the Super Bowl he surprised one of his teammates when he threw a perfect pass from horizontal position. Against the Jaguars, he threw a jump dog with one foot for a touchdown. Again, the throw was perfect.
Mahomes doesn’t have good fundamentals?
None of these plays are possible without Mahomes in complete control of arguably the most talented right-hander in human history. His ball placement is so good that he doesn’t need to set his feet, and he can change his release point at a moment’s notice. Also, anticipation and timing, the last two seasons the team has pushed the boundaries of defensive designs to stop the Chiefs’ big plays. The result is that he is playing in his fifth consecutive home AFC Championship game. That can’t happen without Mahomes matching up with the plethora of pass catchers the Chiefs have used this season with Hill and Byron Pringle no longer on the roster.
Burrow is an outstanding quarterback. Truth be told, because of his size without the rocket fuel in his throwing arm, he was actually sold as an athlete. A man can run. It’s why the Bengals are playing in their second straight championship game, even with all their offensive line issues.
However, for those who have seen Mahomes and Burrows play, you have been blessed with functional eyes so use them properly. Burrow may go down as the greatest professional athlete to ever play in Cincinnati, but Mahomes may be the greatest football player this country has ever produced.
They are there levels up to this, even at the top.