Joe Burrow’s MVP surge has Cincinnati dreaming of another deep run

Joe Burrow is making a compelling case to be named the NFL’s most valuable player, according to the article, as the Cincinnati Bengals have won four games in a row and moved to a 6-2 record. Their latest victory was a 34-17 win over the Atlanta Falcons at Madrid’s Santiago Bernabéu stadium. The quarterback’s recent numbers have put him in rare company. Across the past four weeks, Burrow threw 16 touchdown passes, the most by a Bengals player in any four-game stretch in the team’s history. He is also just the second quarterback in professional football history to record at least 16 passing touchdowns and two rushing touchdowns over a four-game span, matching a mark previously reached by Tom Brady during his standout 2007 season. Against Atlanta, Burrow completed 24 of 29 passes for 271 yards and three touchdowns, without throwing an interception. His passer rating was 140.1, despite facing a defense that the article says ranked fifth in pass defense efficiency entering the game. Receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins helped make the Bengals’ passing attack difficult to contain. The team’s improvement comes after several difficult seasons. From 2023 through 2025, Cincinnati finished with a combined regular-season record of 24-27 and did not reach the playoffs. Burrow’s injuries, problems along the offensive line and a struggling defense all contributed to that stretch, the article reports. Now the defense is described as average, while the offense has found its stride. Cincinnati’s running game remains a weakness, putting more of the responsibility on Burrow to carry the team. The article notes that his pressure rate has also fallen compared with the previous two seasons. With the Bengals on a four-game winning streak and Burrow producing at a historic pace, the MVP race is increasingly difficult to discuss without his name.