Joe Burrow didn’t just keep the Bengals rolling in Week 9 - he put himself in pole position for NFL MVP.
What had been a crowded race entering the week suddenly started to tilt in Burrow’s favor after his latest sharp outing against the Atlanta Falcons. The Bengals quarterback, who was already drawing attention from league executives before the season, made another strong statement in Madrid and turned the award chase into something much clearer.
Burrow completed 24 of 29 passes for 271 yards and three touchdowns as Cincinnati beat Atlanta, 34-17, to move to 6-2. The win came with the Bengals facing a major opportunity next week, when they host the Pittsburgh Steelers, the other 6-2 team in the AFC North, with first place in the division on the line.
As of writing, Burrow holds a 35% chance to win MVP on Polymarket, the highest mark in the race. Josh Allen is second at 23%, while Brock Purdy sits third at 15%. Entering Week 9, the conversation had also included Patrick Mahomes and Trevor Lawrence, but Burrow’s performance gave him the cleanest path to the front.
The numbers back up the surge. Burrow ranks fourth in passing yards with 2,115, leads the league with 20 touchdown passes, and has thrown six interceptions, which puts him 22nd in that category. He still hasn’t won the MVP award, but if this level of play keeps up and the Bengals keep stacking wins, he’s in prime position to finally claim it.
In Other News...
Shemar Stewart Suddenly Has A Bigger Bengals Opportunity In Madrid
As the Bengals get ready for their trip to Madrid to face the Falcons, Shemar Stewart is suddenly in line for a larger role than the one he has had so far. The rookie defensive lineman has been working through limited playing time, but the path to more snaps has opened up as Cincinnati deals with injuries up front and tries to keep its rotation intact for an overseas game that carries plenty of attention.
Zac Taylor pointed to the absences around Stewart as a reason his workload should grow, and the timing matters for a player who missed much of training camp before settling into the season. Even with that slow start, Stewart has kept a positive approach, and the Bengals now need him to turn that into production when the opportunities start coming more regularly. [Read more 🡒]
Joe Burrows Game Day Choice Could Start A New Bengals Debate
Joe Burrows game-day wardrobe drew a little extra attention during the Bengals Week 9 meeting with the Falcons, when he stepped out in custom orange-and-black Caddix cleats. The brand has been making noise around the league lately, helped along by interest from players and even endorsements from figures like Tom Brady, and Burrows choice fit neatly into the kind of style-conscious image he has built in Cincinnati.
The wrinkle is that Caddix is not an NFL-approved brand, which is where the conversation gets interesting for a player with Burrows visibility. Other players have already run into trouble for wearing the same cleats, and with Joe Flacco also connected to the brand, Burrows choice could easily spark a fresh Bengals-side debate about where fashion ends and league rules begin. [Read more 🡒]
Bengals Get A Huge AFC North Test After Steelers Bye Week
Pittsburgh heads into its bye week with plenty of momentum after rolling past Cleveland, a result that kept the Steelers atop the AFC North and underscored how well they are playing on both sides of the ball. Jaylen Warren gave the offense a burst on the ground, while the defense kept the Browns under pressure all afternoon with a pass rush that consistently disrupted the pocket and helped create extra possessions.
For Cincinnati, the timing only raises the stakes for what comes next. The Bengals will get the division leader in prime time at Paycor Stadium on Nov. 15, with NBC carrying the matchup and streaming available on Fubo, and it arrives as one of the clearest measuring-stick games left on the schedule. If the Bengals want to make up ground in the AFC North, this is the kind of test that can shape the rest of the race. [Read more 🡒]