Joe Burrow keeps showing up near the top of any quarterback conversation, and a new metric from The Athletic has him alone at the summit.
Austin Mock, who describes himself as an analytics nerd, built a stat called the “QB index,” or QBI, to judge quarterbacks apart from the rest of their team. The idea is simple enough: roll everything into one number that captures what a quarterback actually adds on each play. Mock says it works a lot like ESPN’s QBR because both are designed to give every quarterback in the league a common scoreboard.
Burrow didn’t just grade well in 2025. He finished first in the NFL with a QBI of 132.
Only two other quarterbacks cleared 120, and the lowest mark in the league belonged to division rival Shedeur Sanders of the Cleveland Browns at 47. The scale is centered on 100, which represents league-average play.
What makes Burrow’s result stand out is that QBI is built to account for things that usually complicate quarterback evaluation. It doesn’t just track passes, rushes, sacks and turnovers. It also tries to weigh the pressure a quarterback faces, along with the quality of his offensive line and receivers.
On paper, that should have worked against Burrow a little. QBI gives and takes credit based on receiver production, including drops and expected yards after catch, or YACOE/Cmp. And Burrow is throwing to Tee Higgins and Ja’Marr Chase, a pair that would seem to boost the numbers around him rather than the quarterback himself.
But the Bengals’ receiving production didn’t drag him down. Cincinnati finished 12th in the league in YACOE/Cmp, and the team has been a top-10 group in that category in each season from 2018 through 2025, one of only two NFL teams to do that. Chase, of course, keeps turning ordinary touches into chaos, including a quick bubble screen he turned into a 70-yard touchdown.
Here are the dots on another absurd Ja'Marr Chase YAC TD.
Once he broke loose, there was no catching him. pic.twitter.com/7MglF5TUmo
- Ben Baby (@Ben_Baby) October 6, 2024
If the receiving corps was supposed to complicate Burrow’s case, the offensive line also did not hold him back the way it often has in the past. In 2025, he spent most of the season with a line that had settled in under new offensive line coach Scott Peters. Over the final 11 weeks, Cincinnati’s line ranked fourth in the NFL in pass-block efficiency, and the Bengals allowed only seven sacks in that span, also fourth-best in the league.
That leaves the film component as another big reason Burrow separated from the field. Mock said QBI also leans on the blend of analytics and film, and he pointed to PFF grades as part of that process. Burrow finished second in PFF grading in 2025, just 0.1 points behind Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matt Stafford.
That kind of evaluation adds context that raw numbers can miss. A pressure is a pressure in the box score, but not every rush threat feels the same when it’s coming from someone like Rams edge rusher Myles Garrett compared with a 180-pound nickel corner.
Burrow’s PFF profile got a huge lift from his ball security. Even though he played only eight games because of injury, his sub-1% turnover-worthy play rate was the first in PFF history for a quarterback with more than 250 dropbacks. That also feeds into QBI and helps explain why his overall number landed where it did.
Looking ahead to 2026, Burrow’s hold on the top spot could depend on the Bengals defense taking the step they’re expected to take. If that happens, he may not have to play as much hero ball, which helps him in these metrics. He would be forced into fewer tight-window throws if the defense is doing its part, and if he stays healthy, he has a chance to have his best.
In Other News...
Bengals Suddenly Have A Week 1 Concern In The Secondary
A new Week 1 concern surfaced in Cincinnati when cornerback DJ Turner showed up on the injury report with a hamstring issue after a limited practice. The timing is less than ideal with the season opener looming, especially since Turner is expected to handle the matchup against wide receiver Emeka Egbuka. It adds a little more uncertainty to a secondary that would rather spend the final days before kickoff tightening up its communication than managing late-week health questions.
The Bengals have spent plenty of time this offseason talking up their readiness for the new year, with JaMarr Chases career milestones also part of the broader conversation around what the offense could do next. But defensive availability can change the tone of a Week 1 game quickly, and Turners status is now one of the more important things to watch as Cincinnati finalizes its plan. If he is less than full speed, the Bengals may have to adjust on the fly in a spot where they would prefer not to be improvising. [Read more 🡒]
Bengals Veterans Are Quietly Protecting What Cincinnati Still Has Open
While the Bengals have spent plenty of time this season sorting out their bigger-picture questions, a quieter kind of work has been happening behind the scenes from a few veterans who know how to steady a locker room. Jalen Davis has become a useful presence in the secondary, where his day-to-day influence has helped cornerback DJ Turner keep growing, and Joe Flacco has stepped into the backup quarterback role with the kind of experience that can calm a room full of younger players.
The value of those voices goes beyond practice reps and game-day insurance. Cincinnati has leaned on veterans before, but this mix of leadership and mentorship matters because it reaches into two spots the team still needs to keep strong: the back end of the defense and the quarterback room. With Joe Burrow at the center of everything, Flaccos presence gives the Bengals an extra layer of support, while Davis continues to be part of the shaping of a secondary that still has room to mature. [Read more 🡒]
Bengals Already Face One 2026 Trap Zac Taylor Can't Ignore
JaMarr Chase and Tee Higgins used Chases podcast to take a grounded look at Cincinnatis 2026 slate, even as outside projections have already painted it as one of the softer paths in the league. The Bengals top receivers made it clear they are not buying into the idea that any week offers a free pass, which is usually the right instinct in a league where schedules can look very different by December than they did in the spring.
Higgins also pointed to the way Zac Taylor approaches the grind, with the coaching staff treating every opponent like a real test instead of leaning on preseason reputation. That matters for Cincinnati, because schedule rankings based on past win percentage or Vegas forecasts can be useful shorthand, but they are still only guesses until the season starts and teams reveal who they really are. [Read more 🡒]