While very few can doubt the claim that Cincinnati Bengals star Joe Burrow is one of the top quarterbacks in the NFL, Burrow is confident enough in himself to take that claim one step further.
Burrow, now a five-year veteran of the league, took the Bengals to the Super Bowl in his second season.
But since then, a series of injuries to himself and his top teammates have often stymied his success – leading to missing the playoffs in the last two seasons.
Despite this, the two-time NFL Comeback Player of the Year believes that no one in the league does it better than him.
‘I’m not sure I would say anyone is playing the position better than I am right now,’ Burrow told reporters.
‘I’m pretty confident in my ability to go out and do that every Sunday. Now, it’s just showing that consistency, showing it year in and year out. I think what separates the legends is being able to do it year in, year out for five, 10 years at a time.
Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow made the claim that no one in the NFL is better than him
Jalen Hurts (L) and Patrick Mahomes (R) could dispute that message – as the most recent quarterbacks to face each other in the Super Bowl
‘So, trying to be able to find that consistency in my discipline and my process, doing the easy stuff in my sleep and then making the hard stuff look easy, then making a couple of great plays here and there, that’s what I am trying to do every week.’
When healthy, Burrow is by far one of the top gunslingers in the league.
Last year, he led the league in passing yards – beating out second-place Jared Goff by nearly 300 yards for the title.
With top targets like Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, Burrow has plenty of high-quality weapons to throw too.
And while it’s not his bread and butter, Burrow is also capable of moving outside the pocket and picking up a few yards.
However, some fans would immediately start to throw plenty of other names in the ring to challenge Burrow’s claim.
In an era where dual-threat quarterbacks have taken over, names like Lamar Jackson of the Baltimore Ravens, Josh Allen of the Buffalo Bills, Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs, and Jalen Hurts of the Super Bowl-champion Philadelphia Eagles could easily challenge that mantle.
All four of those quarterbacks made the playoffs last year – with all but Jackson making their respective conference championship games (the Ravens lost to Allen and the Bills in the AFC Divisional round).
Lamar Jackson (L) and Josh Allen (R), the last two MVPs, might also challenge that claim
Allen, Jackson, and Mahomes won the last three AP NFL Most Valuable Player awards.
Burrow’s claim could come back to haunt him if the Bengals don’t make the playoffs once again – but it might not be his fault for that.
Cincinnati is on the verge of losing star pass rusher Trey Hendrickson in a year where they already saw defensive lineman Sam Hubbard announce his retirement.
Other positions on the defensive side are lean, meaning the Bengals could put up high offensive numbers while giving up a lot of points.
The Bengals have one preseason game remaining when they host the Indianapolis Colts on Saturday. They then open the season on the road against their AFC North and Ohio rivals, the Cleveland Browns.