Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow has been announced as a finalist for NFL MVP. However, a strong season for Burrow ends in agony for the Bengals.
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On Thursday, the NFL released nominations for all of their yearly awards. It is no surprise that quarterbacks dominate the list of MVP candidates.
Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, Jared Goff, and Joe Burrow are the quarterbacks nominated for the award.
Many believe that Allen earned the award with the Buffalo Bills’ win over the Baltimore Ravens in the Divisional Round of the playoffs.
Allen’s postseason success may win him the award, but it is hard not to see the performance of Burrow with the Cincinnati Bengals.
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Burrow led the league in passing yards with 4,918 yards, as well as touchdown passes with 43. It was a memorable season for the Bengals quarterback.
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However, it wasn’t a memorable season for his team. The Bengals may have had a historic offensive season, but they also finished 9-8 on the year, missing the postseason.
The Bengals started the season 0-3, and the ugly start was too much to overcome. Maybe if the team were to have snuck into the postseason, the MVP debate would look a lot different.
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Winning matters, and it will be the reason that Burrow doesn’t win his first MVP award. However, this chapter of the Bengals’ history doesn’t surprise the fans in Cincinnati.
If anything, it is just another painful reminder of how dangerous this Bengals team could be. However, the front office can’t seem to fit all the puzzle pieces together at once.