Joe Burrow’s dominance against heated rival gets put into perspective

A bad game from Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow is as rare as anything you’ll see in the NFL. The elite performances have become noticeably more frequent for the former Heisman Trophy winner.

Burrow is one of the best quarterbacks in the game right now primarily because of his consistency. He’s very good at the the most aspects parts of the position, and that leads to predictably good results.

Games with a 90+ PFF Grade since 2021:

Josh Allen – 9
Joe Burrow – 6

No other QB has 3. When these guys are on, they’re different. (h/t @DaveSulfaro)

— Brad Spielberger, Esq. (@PFF_Brad) June 19, 2023

But when those good results become great, they happen more often than almost any other passer in the league. Per Pro Football Focus’ Brad Spielberger, only Josh Allen and Burrow have more than two games in the past two seasons with PFF grades of 90 or higher. Allen leads the way with nine, and Burrow has six.

Getting close to a 100 PFF grade even for a single game is essentially impossible, so anything about 90 is considered a near perfect outing.

Hitting this score more often than your peers almost certainly puts you in the elite tier for your position.

Examples of these 90+ PFF grade performances for Burrow include last year’s wins over the Atlanta Falcons, New England Patriots, and Pittsburgh Steelers. He’s had three in each of the last two years. In fact, Burrow has graded 90 or higher three times against the Steelers in the past two years.

That accounts for half of the total Spielberger mentioned, and it remains higher than any other quarterback, aside from Allen, have had at all since 2021.

Joe Burrow’s 90+ PFF graded games vs. Steelers

Week (Year)                              Grade                                            Result

Week 3 (2021)                          90.3                                             24-10 W

Week 12 (2021)                        91.9                                             41-10 W

Week 11 (2022)                        90.8                                             37-30 W

Since drafting Burrow in 2020, the Bengals have gone 4-2 against their most hated AFC North foe, Burrow himself has been a part of just three of those wins. Pittsburgh emerged victorious in 11-straight matchups against Cincinnati prior to Burrow landing in the Queen City.

Needless to say, he’s changed the dynamic quite a bit.