Joe Burrow deflects MVP talk, praises teammates instead

It’s the job of a quarterback to take accountability when times are tough and deflect praise when things are going well.

Right now, the defending AFC Champion Cincinnati Bengals are rolling, having won four-straight games, including earning a crucial 27-24 victory Sunday over the Kansas City Chiefs in a rematch of last season’s AFC Championship Game.

Throughout the Bengals’ winning streak and all season long, quarterback Joe Burrow has been playing at an elite level, including a performance against Kansas City that saw him complete over 80 percent of his passes for 286 yards and two touchdowns while adding 46 yards and a score on the ground.

Burrow’s elite play has led to his teammates calling for him to be the winner of the 2022 NFL MVP Award.

“Never ever panic. Not with Joe Burrow on that sideline,” cornerback Eli Apple told Bengals.com’s Geoff Hobson. “He’s got to be the leading (MVP) candidate, right? He just beat the No. 1 guy (Patrick Mahomes).”

“He’s the best quarterback in the league because we beat everybody they say is the best,” wide receiver Tyler Boyd added. “Just look at his numbers. He’s super productive. He’s poised. He always makes the right reads. He’s always getting us in the right play. I’ve never seen anybody like him.”

Instead of taking the praise from his teammates and running with it, Burrow is doing the job of a quarterback when times are good: deflecting the praise to his teammates instead.

“It means we have a great team,” Burrow said of the team’s win over the Chiefs and recent run of success. “Our defense steps up in big spots, gets stops and turnovers when we need it. We’ve been able to come up in some big spots on offense as well.”

“We’re just really dialed in. We know the mistakes we made, the corrections we have to make. There’s a lot of celebration in the locker room, just like every win, but everybody knows there’s a lot of room to improve, and we have the guys to go do that.”

Burrow’s selfless approach is exactly what all NFL teams dream their quarterback display as leaders.

Hopefully, Zach Wilson, who deflected blame while struggling with the New York Jets earlier this season, see’s Burrow’s comments and takes notes in the event he has success at a later point of his career.