Joe Burrow’s MVP push got a serious jolt in Week 7, and the way it happened made it impossible to ignore.
The Bengals walked into M&T Bank Stadium and turned the second half into a demolition, rolling past the Ravens 35-13 in one of the best post-halftime stretches you’ll see. Cincinnati didn’t just win - it buried a division rival after the break, and Burrow was the engine behind it.
He came out of a scoreless first half and flipped the game on its head, steering five touchdown drives in a row after halftime. That kind of run doesn’t just win a game; it forces the league to start talking in bigger terms.
DraftKings’ NFL MVP odds reflected that. Burrow got a noticeable lift after the Ravens game, and his four-touchdown performance pushed him into third place in the race. He also reached 15 touchdown passes on the season, which put him atop the league at the time.
The Bengals’ upcoming schedule only adds to the case. San Francisco just took its first loss to the Falcons, who also happen to be Cincinnati’s Madrid opponent, and that opens the door for Burrow to strengthen his candidacy against a team that now carries a little more weight after that result. The Madrid stage could matter.
If Burrow handles the Titans in Week 8 - and the source expects at least two touchdowns, maybe three - he’ll be right back in the mix with Josh Allen entering Week 9. Then Cincinnati returns home and Burrow gets Sunday Night Football and Monday Night Football in back-to-back games, giving him more spotlight at exactly the right time.
The conversation around Burrow also goes beyond the box score. MVP voting has always leaned on storylines, and Burrow has a strong one: no playoff trip since the 2022 season, two brutal injuries since then, and a 2024 campaign in which he played like an MVP while the defense let him down. Now that Cincinnati has a competent defense behind him, the picture looks different.
That’s part of why the award feels wide open. Brock Purdy remains in the mix, but the source makes clear that Christian McCaffrey is the driving force in that 49ers offense. Purdy is respected, and underrated in some eyes, but Burrow’s level of play still sets him apart.
Allen remains the toughest hurdle. He has already won MVP before, and his dual-threat impact keeps him near the top of every race. Still, Burrow’s timing, production and rising profile are working in his favor.
For now, the Bengals quarterback has his name where it needs to be. The gap is closing.
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Joe Burrow And Bengals Weapons Flipped Everything In Baltimore
For a half at M&T Bank Stadium, it looked like Cincinnati was in danger of wasting a golden chance against a Baltimore team missing Lamar Jackson. The Bengals were blanked before halftime, but Joe Burrow and the offense came out transformed after the break, turning a flat first half into a lopsided 35-13 win that pushed Cincinnati to 4-2 overall and 1-1 in the AFC North.
The second-half surge was driven by Burrow and the group around him, with the passing game suddenly finding the rhythm it lacked early. Baltimore got a huge performance from Tyler Huntley, who set a career high with 298 passing yards, but the Ravens could not keep pace once Cincinnati started landing big plays and flipping the games momentum. [Read more 🡒]
Bengals May Have A Mike Gesicki Problem After Ravens Shootout
Mike Gesickis day in Cincinnatis wild comeback against Baltimore looked productive on the scoreboard, but the fuller picture was a little more complicated. The Bengals were forced into a shootout and leaned on several different targets as they battled back, with Gesicki showing up in the end zone in a game that featured plenty of offensive fireworks across the league at tight end.
The concern for Cincinnati is that the box score may flatter the usage more than the role itself. Gesickis impact came without a steady stream of catches, which leaves the Bengals with a familiar question about how much of his value is tied to timely finishes rather than a consistently involved passing game. In a week when several tight ends around the NFL either popped for big production or faded quiet, Cincinnati may have uncovered something useful and still not fully solved it. [Read more 🡒]
Bengals Sent A Loud Message In Baltimore After Halftime Frustration
The Bengals walked into Baltimore with plenty to prove after a first half that left them scoreless, but the trip turned quickly once Zac Taylors halftime adjustments took hold. Cincinnati looked nothing like the team that had been stifled early, coming out with a sharper pace and a more decisive attack against a Ravens group that had controlled the opening 30 minutes.
Joe Burrow was central to the turnaround, with Tee Higgins and JaMarr Chase helping the passing game find its rhythm in a 35-13 win. The second-half surge served as a loud reminder of how dangerous this offense can be when it settles in, and it left Baltimore with plenty to sort through after Cincinnati flipped the script in emphatic fashion. [Read more 🡒]