Cincinnati is 5-2, and Joe Burrow is absolutely balling, kicking off the best start of his career. He has already stacked up a league-high 20 touchdown passes, three more than he has ever had after seven games. Sure, needing overtime to get past the Tennessee Titans is not the flashiest win, but the Bengals are looking dangerous, and Burrow is a huge reason why.
Burrow’s Numbers Are Crushing It
He threw for an incredible 462 yards and five touchdowns against the Titans last Sunday, even with three interceptions. Talk about offsetting those picks! He has 13 touchdown passes in the last three weeks alone. Beyond the TDs, his 2,115 passing yards are a career best for this stage, same for his 111.6 passer rating, and his 73.0% completion rate is an NFL-best right now. Having Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, arguably the best 1-2 receiver punch in the league, definitely helps, no doubt. And get this: Mike Gesicki, at 31, is having a career year, matching his touchdown high already with scores in six of their seven games. Wild.
This Defense Is The Real Deal
For real, the most encouraging thing has to be the defense. That unit has truly limited their success in recent years. Last year, they were giving up 30.7 points per game at this point. This season? They are a full touchdown better, allowing 22.7 points per game, vaulting them from 30th to 14th in the league. Red zone defense is night and day, too. Opponents scored touchdowns on 63% of drives inside the 20 last year. Now, it is down to 42%, jumping from 24th to fifth in the NFL.
The sack numbers are bonkers. Last year, they ranked 23rd in the league. This year, they are third in the NFL with 23 sacks, already having their bye week, putting them on pace for a franchise-record 56 sacks. Free-agent addition Boye Mafe has 5.5 sacks, matching last year’s team leader, Myles Murphy. And Dexter Lawrence, picked up from the Giants for the No. 10 overall pick in this year’s draft, has five sacks himself. Lawrence’s clutch sack against the Titans even helped send that game into overtime. These guys are getting after it!
The Path Ahead and MVP Talk
Their remaining schedule looks pretty sweet too. Only four of their 10 opponents have winning records, and two of those are the Cleveland Browns. They did drop their first game against Pittsburgh, so getting a home win against the Steelers next weekend is an absolute must. Beyond that, they still have three games against NFC South teams and one against the fire-selling Indianapolis Colts.
Burrow has never finished higher than fourth in MVP voting, but if he stays healthy, this could be his year. He is currently third in MVP odds, right behind Buffalo’s Josh Allen and San Francisco’s Brock Purdy. That next win will put them at six total, matching their entire win total from last year, when they went 6-11. This team is legit pushing for franchise records.
The Bengals are staring down a huge home game against the Steelers next weekend. A win there not only pushes them toward matching last year’s total wins, but it keeps Burrow’s MVP campaign humming and shows everyone they are serious contenders.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Fox Sports.
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