Joe Burrow, Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson have all established themselves among the best quarterbacks in football, but all three are still chasing the same thing: their first Super Bowl championship. Allen and Lamar have both reached the AFC Championship Game but have been unable to get over the hump, while Burrow is the only one of the three who has actually reached the Super Bowl. He came incredibly close to finishing the job before Cincinnati ultimately fell short against the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl LVI. So which one finally crosses the finish line first? For me, it’s Joe Burrow.
Burrow Has Already Proven He Can Get There
The biggest reason I trust Burrow is simple: we’ve already watched him do it. Burrow took Cincinnati through the AFC and into the Super Bowl following the 2021 season, and his path included something neither Allen nor Lamar has managed to accomplish in the postseason: beating Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs. The Chiefs have essentially become the final boss of the AFC. If you want to reach the Super Bowl, there is a very good chance Kansas City will eventually be standing in your way. Burrow has shown me that the moment doesn’t become too big when that happens. He walked into Arrowhead for the AFC Championship Game, helped erase an 18 point deficit and left Kansas City with a trip to the Super Bowl.
And it isn’t just Kansas City. Burrow’s Bengals have already eliminated both Buffalo and Baltimore in the postseason. During the 2022 playoffs, Cincinnati beat Baltimore 24 to 17 before going into Buffalo and beating the Bills 27 to 10. Lamar was injured and did not play in that Baltimore game, so I won’t pretend Burrow personally beat Lamar head to head, but Cincinnati still eliminated the Ravens. One week later, Burrow went directly into Allen’s house and ended Buffalo’s season. When we’re comparing these three quarterbacks, that matters. Burrow isn’t simply the only one who has reached a Super Bowl. His Bengals have eliminated the teams led by both of the other quarterbacks in this conversation during deep playoff runs.
Allen and Lamar Are Still Trying to Break Through
This isn’t disrespect toward Allen or Lamar. Both are incredible quarterbacks, and either one could absolutely win a championship before Burrow. But until it happens, their playoff histories matter. Allen has repeatedly run into Kansas City in January without getting through, while Lamar and Baltimore lost their AFC Championship matchup against Mahomes and the Chiefs following the 2023 season. Both have had opportunities to break through, but neither has been able to finish an AFC playoff run and reach the Super Bowl.
That’s what separates Burrow for me. We’ve already seen him finish an AFC playoff run. He’s won in Arrowhead. He’s won in Buffalo. He’s taken Cincinnati to the Super Bowl. There is considerably less projection involved when I say Joe Burrow can get through the AFC because he’s already done it.
Give Burrow a Defense
The frustrating part about Cincinnati is that we already know the offense can be championship caliber. Burrow has one of the best receiving groups in football around him, and Chase Brown gives Cincinnati another legitimate weapon out of the backfield. When Burrow and this offense are healthy, scoring enough points isn’t what concerns me. It’s the other side of the football.
If Cincinnati can put a legitimate defense around Burrow, I believe they have everything necessary to make another Super Bowl run. They don’t need the greatest defense in football. They just need a unit capable of getting enough stops to give Burrow and that offense a chance to win games in January.
Who Gets There First?
Allen is good enough to win a Super Bowl. Lamar is good enough to win a Super Bowl. Burrow is good enough to win a Super Bowl. All three are unfortunate enough to be playing in an AFC that has run through Patrick Mahomes for years, and none of them will have an easy road.
But if you’re asking me which one I trust to cross the finish line first, give me Joe Burrow.
He’s beaten Kansas City in the playoffs. His Bengals have eliminated Baltimore. He’s gone into Buffalo and eliminated Allen. He’s won the AFC. He’s played in the Super Bowl.
Now he just needs to finish the job.
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