With four games left in the regular season, Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow is near the lead in the race to finish as the NFL’s highest-graded quarterback.
His main competition is Tom Brady.
Brady, the future Hall of Famer, has the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on course to defend their Super Bowl title from a year ago. He’s 10-3 with 4,134 passing yards and 36 touchdowns against 10 interceptions.
Burrow’s at 7-6 with 3,483 yards and 25 touchdowns against 14 interceptions as his team scratches and claws for a playoff spot in the wild AFC.
Over at Pro Football Focus, Burrow’s 90.0 overall grade is second among quarterbacks behind Brady’s 91.5.
Kirk Cousins is the next-closest passer behind Burrow at 88.3. When sorting by overall passing grade, Burrow is third in the NFL (88.8) behind Brady and the first-place Kyler Murray.
Interestingly, Burrow leads all passers in 90-plus games this year:
Joe Burrow leads all QBs for most weeks (3) with a 90+ PFF grade this season
— James Palmer (@JamesPalmerTV) December 14, 2021
Brady’s hit that mark just once this season. Burrow’s done it three times, twice against the Steelers and last week against the 49ers.
Critics will point to Burrow’s 14 interceptions, tied for league lead. But many of those have been downright unlucky, with one recent drop by Ja’Marr Chase that turned into a pick that would have been a touchdown otherwise.
Either way, Burrow’s checking out incredibly well on film and in the grading process considering the shaky line he plays behind and the fact he’s yet to have a normal pro summer or preseason.
