There’s a lot to blame for the Cincinnati Bengals being one of the most disappointing teams in the NFL with a 1-4 record in 2024. Quarterback Joe Burrow’s play is not among them.
Burrow, signed last season, received a huge contract extension with an average annual salary of $55 million and $219 million guaranteed, and is doing everything he can to help the Bengals win.
No matter what Burrow does on offense, Cincinnati has the 26th-ranked total defense and 31st-ranked scoring defense in the NFL, only ahead of Carolina, the only team with a win in Week 4. The Bengals are No. 30 against the run and No. 19 against the pass.
Meanwhile, the Bengals offense is averaging 28 points per game. This ranks fourth behind the Commanders, Ravens, and Bills. The winning teams have a combined record of 10 wins and 5 losses, with two of them defeating the Bengals in high-scoring games.
Coach Burrow said before playing Baltimore in Week 5 that Cincinnati would have to be perfect to win. He made one mistake. A fourth-quarter interception caused the team to lose the lead late, losing 41-38 in overtime.
Below is a statistical analysis of Burrow, 27, who is in his fifth season in the NFL.
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Joe Burrow leads the NFL in two big QB stats
Burrow has 12 TD passes in his first five games. This puts him one spot ahead of two surprising QBs who are tied at No. 11: Sam Darnold of the Vikings and Baker Mayfield of the Buccaneers.
Among quarterbacks who started all five games this season, he led the league in passer rating with 113.6. He also ranks second in the NFL with a 72.3 completion percentage behind Commanders rookie sensation Jaden Daniels.
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Joe Burrow stats and 2021 season comparison
Burrow had his rookie season cut short with a torn ACL and broke out in his second year. During his Comeback Player of the Year effort, Burrow led the league with a 70.4 percent completion rate and 8.9 yards per attempt, despite taking a league-high 51 sacks. He ultimately led the Bengals to Super Bowl 56.
Burrow is currently setting a career-high pace in completion percentage and efficiency. He also threw for 4,611 yards in 16 games in 2021 and 4,658 yards and over 40 TDs in 17 games in 2024. Burrow will also record fewer than double-digit interceptions for the first time, with just two in five games. He averages 7.9 yards, but also leads the league in ESPN QBR at 73.6 yards.
By every metric in 24 years, those are MVP-caliber numbers, not a QB on a .200 team.
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Joe Burrow vs. Other Eligible Passer Rating Leaders
The last time a playoff team didn’t have a quarterback who led the league in passer rating was Steve Young of the 49ers in 1991, who just missed the postseason with a 10-6 record.
From 1992 to 2023, not only did every passer rating leader become a playoff QB, but many also made it to at least the conference championship game – 13 of 33 (39.3%).
The Bengals ended up with a losing record, but if Burrow continues to be the league’s most capable passer in 2024, it will be seen as an insane anomaly. The last time an NFL passer rating leader quarterbacked a team below .500 was 41 years ago when Steve Burkowski did so. For the 1983 Falcons.
Joe Burrow once again proves QB wins aren’t a real QB statistic
Bad NFL teams often have bad quarterbacks. The Bengals are a terrible team, historically, with a great QB. With personnel changes further hampered by injuries, Cincinnati isn’t poised to significantly improve for the rest of the season unless Burrow can suddenly play anywhere at a high level defensively.
Those who are trying to write off Burrow because of the Bengals’ disappointing performance should instead praise him for making the most of the situation and preventing the team from getting worse.
