The race for MVP in the NFL is always a tight one.

Over the past two seasons, Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson and Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen have taken home the honors, leaving the other as the runner-up.

However, Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer is picking Joe Burrow to break through their competition for the award.

“The wild thing is that he could have won it last year,” Breer wrote. “in a season when the Bengals didn’t even make the playoffs. He threw more yards (4,918) and touchdowns (43) than anyone else, and had the most throws (652) and completions (460), too, while maintaining the fourth-highest completion percentage (70.6%) in all of football. His passer rating of 108.5 was third. And he accomplished all that with the NFL’s 30th-ranked run game alongside him, and the league’s 25th-ranked defense playing opposite him — giving him a heavy burden week-to-week. That’s without even getting into Tee Higgins’s health, or Ja’Marr Chase’s contract standoff, which forced Cincinnati to integrate younger players at the receiver spots on the fly.”

Elsewhere, NFL.com’s Jeffri Chadiha also picked Burrow to take home his first NFL MVP award.

“Burrow is going to receive a lot of attention for this honor because he got plenty last year, when the Bengals were stumbling and fumbling their way through a frustrating season that ended with them missing the playoffs for the second straight year,” Chadiha wrote. “There were people out there loudly saying that Burrow deserved to contend for the game’s top individual award because of sheer productivity. He led the league in passing yards (4,918) and touchdowns (43) while only throwing nine interceptions. It is true that Burrow would’ve had a strong case if Cincinnati had made the postseason in 2024. It’s even more logical to think that more people will be singing his praises if he repeats those efforts. The Bengals made it clear that they wanted to keep his weapons happy (wide receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins both signed massive extensions). It’s also still a mystery as to what Cincy’s defense will look like after an offseason that has included contract disputes with All-Pro edge rusher Trey Hendrickson and first-round pick Shemar Stewart, the hiring of new defensive coordinator Al Golden and some high-profile personnel changes. If the Bengals return to the playoffs, then their offense is going to be prolific. That puts Burrow in a position to earn a lot of love.”

Burrow should have been in the discussion more, despite the Cincinnati Bengals missing the playoffs. If the Bengals can make it back there, it’d be a good guess that Burrow finally gets his first MVP trophy.

Burrow would be just the third Bengal to win the award after Ken Anderson (1981) and Boomer Esiason (1988), each of whom accomplished it in their primes.

The Bengals locking up Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins for the long term gives Burrow a good chance at being the first to win it multiple times. That is, if the team can end its mini-playoff drought.