After the Bengals beat the Broncos last Saturday, Bengals head coach Zac Taylor said he thinks quarterback Joe Burrow should be the MVP of the league this year because he is the best player in the world.
Burrow didn’t weigh in on his global status during a Tuesday press conference, but he did weigh in on the MVP question. Burrow said that he believes that he will win the award at some point, but that the team’s relative lack of success this season makes him an unlikely choice.
“I doubt it,” Burrow said. “Usually you gotta win your division. . . . It is what it is. That’s how it’s voted. I don’t necessarily disagree with it, I would say.”
Burrow is the favorite to win comeback player of the year after last season ended with a right wrist injury. Burrow also won it in 2021 when he returned from a torn ACL and said it’s not really an award you want to win twice — Chad Pennington is the only person to win multiple times — before adding “if you’re up for it, you might as well try to win.”
The Bengals remain alive in the AFC playoff picture mostly because of Joe Burrow, and he’s being recognized for his big game in Saturday’s win over the Broncos.
Burrow has been named the AFC offensive player of the week for Week 17.
Burrow completed 39 of 49 pass attempts for 412 passing yards and three touchdowns, plus another touchdown rushing, in the Bengals’ 30-24 overtime win over the Broncos.
This is Burrow’s seventh player of the week award. He also won the award in Weeks 4 and 16 of 2021, Weeks 7, 13 and 16 of 2022, and Week 8 of 2023.
Previously, the NFL warned its teams about a transnational crime ring targeting players. Now, the federal government has chimed in.
Via the Associated Press, the FBI has warned all sports leagues of crime organizations targeting pro athletes.
Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic recently was robbed. NFL players who have been victimized by burglaries in recent weeks include Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, and Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce.
“While many burglaries occur while homes are unoccupied, some burglaries occur while residents are home,” the FBI report said, per the AP. “In these instances, individuals are encouraged to seek law enforcement help and avoid engaging with criminals, as they may be armed or use violence if confronted.”
The groups are using technology to bypass security systems, block wireless Internet connections, and disable devices. They also are obscuring security cameras and hiding their identities.
Most of the robberies happen quickly, with the thieves targeting jewelry and cash.
Some NFL players hire private security details. Recently, Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers explained that the NFL has resources to help players come up with a plan for securing their property.
The Bengals placed defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins on the reserve/non-football illness list Monday, the team announced.
Rankins, 30, has not practiced since Nov. 15 and has missed the past six games while battling a viral illness.
He finishes the season with 18 tackles and a sack in seven games, having missed Weeks 3-5 with a hamstring injury.
Rankins signed a two-year, $24.5 million deal with the Bengals to help replace DJ Reader, who left for the Lions. Instead, rookies Kris Jenkins Jr. and McKinnley Jackson have played bigger roles than expected alongside BJ Hill.
Bengals running back Chase Brown sprained an ankle late in Saturday’s overtime win over the Broncos. He has played 686 offensive snaps this season, which is 65 percent of the team’s offensive snaps.
So, the Bengals will miss a big part of their offense if Brown can’t go against the Steelers on Saturday.
“Chase Brown is a special player, and I think he’s got a bright, bright future in this league as one of the top backs, really in anything you ask him to do,” offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher said, via Jay Morrison of SI.com. “And so, obviously, we’re hopeful that we’re going to have him. And I know he’s going to work really hard to be able to be out there for us.”
Brown has 283 touches for 1,350 yards and 11 touchdowns this season, with his 536 yards from scrimmage since Week 13 ranking eighth among all players, according to ESPN Research.
If Brown can’t play, the Bengals insist they have confidence in Khalil Herbert, who the team acquired in a trade with the Bengals at the deadline. Herbert has nine touches for 52 yards for the Bengals, but four carries for 23 yards came on the game-winning drive last week.
“Khalil’s a pro,” Pitcher said. “He’s played a lot of NFL football. He’s been productive. We really like the way he prepares during the week. He’s diligent. We brought him here for a reason.
“We heard really good things about him. We were able to evaluate the player on the tape and we liked the player. And then we heard a lot of really good things about the person. The ability for us to add him was big.”
