Joe Burrow was drafted with the number one overall pick out of Louisiana State University in 2020, and has since gone on to carve out a niche for himself as one of the best quarterbacks in the entire NFL.
A National Championship winner with the LSU Tigers in Baton Rouge, Burrow has been reunited with his favorite target, Ja’Marr Chase, and has since vaulted toward the top of the Cincinnati Bengals’ record books.
Just three years into his Bengals career, Burrow ranks sixth all-time among franchise leading quarterbacks in yards passing, less than 4,000 yards behind Jeff Blake.
Now, Burrow has his sights set on another career milestone: becoming one of the winningest playoff quarterbacks for his relative experience level in the history of the NFL.
He’s already passed up a handful of household names, and can cement the distinction with a win on Sunday over Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs.
Burrow Ties Roethlisberger, Are Tom Brady and Russell Wilson Next?
With his stunning road victory this past Sunday over the Buffalo Bills in Orchard Park, New York, Burrow tied former Steelers star quarterback Ben Roethlisberger with five playoff victories in his first three seasons in the NFL.
The stat was shared by CBS Sports HQ, as shown in the picture below, and also shared by the website Bengals Wire.
Some commenters pointed out that Tom Brady should also be included on the list, as he won two Super Bowls and six playoff games total in his first three years during which he actually played consistently (not counting his rookie season).
Aside from Brady, the question on everyone’s minds is whether Burrow is better than Mahomes at this point of his career or not.
Mahomes is coming off of an ankle injury heading into Sunday’s game, so we may not get a complete picture of his talents at this point in time.
That being said, the career comparisons between Burrow and Mahomes are worth noting.
Completion Percentage:
Burrow has Mahomes beat in this major category far over the course of their careers, with Burrow at 68.2 percent and Mahomes at 66.3%.
Passing Yardage:
Mahomes has averaged 4,791 yards per season over the course of his last five seasons, excluding his rookie year when he barely played.
Burrow has thrown for considerably less yards. He’s averaged 3,924 yards over his three total seasons in the NFL, including a rookie campaign during which he threw for less than 2,700 yards.
All things considered, Mahomes has averaged more passing yards per season in years he’s actually played, but Burrow’s progression was ahead of schedule, as evidenced by his rookie year.
Touchdowns to Interception Ratio:
Mahomes has thrown for 192 touchdowns to 49 interceptions so far over the course of his career, compared with 82 to 31 for Burrow.
This is the one area where Mahomes trumps Burrow in a noticeable fashion; something to watch heading into Sunday’s game.
Final Thoughts
With a Super Bowl appearance under his belt and an improving surrounding cast, the question now is whether Burrow can take the next step and bring home a Super Bowl title.
With Mahomes on the mend, Sunday might become a career defining game for Burrow and the Bengals, if he can play up to his potential and lead Cincinnati past a surging Chiefs team.
For now, the numbers don’t lie: Burrow’s ability to lead and win games is elite, and now he just needs to seal the deal with two victories to cement his place in NFL history, just three years into and young and already brilliant NFL career.
