Frank Schwab Senior writer Wed, October 28, 2026 at 5:08 PM UTC · 3 min read Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In this story It has always seemed that at some point, Joe Burrow will win an NFL MVP award.
He has been in the conversation before. In 2024 he might have won had the Cincinnati Bengals simply made the playoffs, but they were not good enough around him.
Burrow is fairly quietly having a season that might be his best in the NFL, and that's saying something. He has 1,653 yards, 15 touchdowns and three interceptions for a team that is now favored to win the AFC North. On the road, in a huge divisional game against the Baltimore Ravens last week, Burrow threw for 249 yards and four touchdowns in the second half as the Bengals came back to win 35-13. That bumped up Burrow's MVP odds in the betting market. BetMGM has him second behind Josh Allen, who has +140 odds (bet $100 to win $140). Burrow is second at +450. That gap should shrink in upcoming weeks.
With the Bengals' soft upcoming schedule, it is very easy to envision Burrow leading the race by the end of November. And him not having an MVP award will probably work in his favor.
Burrow has a chance to put up some ridiculous numbers in November. Here is Cincinnati's upcoming schedule with the opposing defense's rank in DVOA : vs. Titans (32nd), at Falcons (11th), vs. Steelers (7th), at Commanders (23rd), vs. Saints (30th).
That's three great matchups and the Falcons and Steelers aren't as scary as their rankings would indicate. Burrow already threw for 282 yards and three touchdowns at Pittsburgh in Week 3. He could pile up some numbers because he's already one of the hottest quarterbacks in the NFL.
Burrow leads the NFL with a completion percentage of 71.7%. His passer rating of 110.4 would be a career best, and is second to only Jared Goff among quarterbacks with 100 attempts. The Bengals are doing a good job protecting him; his sack percentage of 4.4% is by far the best of his career. That number has never been under 6% during Burrow's NFL career. That can keep Burrow healthy, and when he plays behind a competent offensive line he's going to have some huge games.
Of course, Burrow isn't the only quarterback in the mix.
Joe Burrow of the Cincinnati Bengals threw for four second-half touchdowns in a win over the Ravens last week. (Photo by Todd Olszewski/Getty Images)
Jared Goff has a similar argument to Burrow. He has thrown 14 touchdowns with no interceptions. The Lions would likely need to win the NFC North — Matthew Stafford was the first MVP winner from a wild-card team since 2008 — but he's putting up numbers to have his name in the conversation. Burrow has a similar issue, and the AFC North is deep and tough like the NFC North.
Allen is the favorite, and for good reason. He's a great player and has had some remarkable games already. What's working against Allen was a big reason he won the 2024 MVP: Voters like to spread the award around. They bypassed Lamar Jackson for his third MVP in 2024, even though he was voted All-Pro quarterback, to get Allen his first award. Burrow is the best quarterback in the NFL without an MVP and that usually matters even if it's not spoken out loud.
It all lines up for Burrow. He is off to a great start. He has a line that can keep him healthy and throwing from clean pockets. Cincinnati is favored to win its division. He will put up some great numbers in November. And he has the name cache that will make him easy to vote for if it's close with Allen, Jared Goff, Brock Purdy or anyone else.
Burrow won a Heisman Trophy at LSU years ago. He's got a great path to add an NFL MVP award to his case this season.
Source: Sports
