Mike Tomlin says Joe Burrow is playing at an MVP level

Burrow’s play this season and his December record give the Bengals hope.

You can say and feel whatever, and however, you want about Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin. If there’s one thing I respect about him, it’s that he is honest. He is honest, unfiltered, and doesn’t shy away from saying anything. You don’t need a detector of any kind when you listen to Mike Tomlin speak.

So, when Tomlin says Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow is playing at an MVP-caliber level, especially when the Bengals host the Steelers on Sunday, Bengals fans need to take note of him saying that.

“If you look at the tape, he’s MVP-caliber in terms of what he’s doing for them,” Tomlin said this week.

Burrow has 27 touchdown passes this season with just four interceptions. Tomlin is smart. He’s seen what Burrow did to the Baltimore Ravens twice this season, when Burrow threw for a combined 820 yards and nine touchdowns.

“We’ve gotta carry enough defense schematically,” Tomlin said of facing Burrow and the Bengals, “But within that, we better perform at a high enough level. You better do a lot of things.”

Burrow hasn’t played against the Steelers in over two years. He was out with a wrist injury for both Bengals games against Pittsburgh last year. But, in 2022, Burrow threw for 338 and 355 yards in both games against the Steelers. The second game saw Burrow throw for 355 yards and four touchdowns, a 37-30 road win without Ja’Marr Chase.

And Joe Burrow being great in December? Yeah, it’s true, as Sports Illustrated’s Jay Morrison detailed earlier this week. When you consider Burrow is 8-2 in December with 309.1 passing yards per game, that tells you he plays at his best when the games matter the most in the regular season. Burrow also has 24 touchdowns to just six interceptions while completing 70.4 percent of his passes. Since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970, Burrow is first in passing yards per game and completion percentage.

Sunday is December 1st. It’s now or never for the Bengals. If the Joe Burrow in December that we have come to know does it again, the Bengals will be in a position to win a marquee game and keep their slim playoff hopes alive.