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Joe Burrow is one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL. It’s unfortunate for him that significant injuries have been such a large part of his story throughout his first six years in the league. It’s even more unfortunate that he landed with the Cincinnati Bengals (4-10 this season), because this is a franchise that almost always makes the wrong move with its players and coaching staff.
It certainly looked like that would no longer be the case during the 2021 season, because that was the season the Bengals won the AFC North title with a 10-7 record and then went on a spectacular run in the postseason.
The Bengals defeated the Las Vegas Raiders in the Wild Card round and followed with a triumph over the Tennessee Titans in the divisional playoffs.
Cincinnati was an underdog against the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC title game, but Burrow came through with a brilliant performance in his showdown with Patrick Mahomes and the Bengals advanced to the the Super Bowl with a 27-24 triumph.
The Bengals were looking for the first Super Bowl victory in team history, but they fell short and dropped a 23-20 decision to the Los Angeles Rams.
After a 12-4 season in 2022, it has largely been disappointment and heartbreak since. They lost the AFC title game to the Chiefs in the return engagement, but 3 straight non-playoff seasons have followed.
Burrow is able to read the tea leaves and he understands that shortcomings within the organization are likely to keep him from getting to the top as long as he remains in Cincinnati.
Moving on from the Bengals would be the best thing for his career, and there are three teams that could turn out to be much better for the remainder of his career. One of those teams is ideal, while the other two could also turn out to be spots for success.
The Vikings would clearly offer Burrow the best opportunity for success, especially in the next 2-3 seasons. There are a number of advantages, starting with the presence of head coach Kevin O’Connell, known as one of the game’s premier quarterback whisperers. O’Connell had success with Matthew Stafford as offensive coordinator with the Rams.
After moving on to the top spot with the Vikings, he had a positive impact on Kirk Cousins and Sam Darnold. Both are examples of his influence on quarterbacks with flaws. He was able to coax improvement out of Cousins and help lead the Vikings to a division title in 2022 even though the team’s defense was abominable that season.
He was even better with Darnold last season. Prior to coming to the Vikings, Darnold had struggled badly with three other teams, but he became a resourceful leader and accurate passer who led Minnesota to a 14-3 record. The Vikings let Darnold leave in the offseason because they wanted to turn the position over to J.J. McCarthy
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