• Joe Burrow overcame a poor offensive line to shine: His 75.6 PFF passing grade below stress was the most effective within the NFL, as had been his 17 big-time throws whereas below duress.
• An MVP case if not for a misplaced season: Burrow lit up opposing defenses on a weekly foundation, placing collectively a reputable MVP case regardless of the Bengals’ total struggles to win video games.
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Estimated Studying Time: 4 minutes
PFF’s award winners are chosen via a voting course of unique to twenty-eight senior analysts, contributors and members of the PFF workers, guaranteeing the selections replicate the insights and experience of these deeply concerned within the recreation.
This yr’s Greatest Passer is Joe Burrow, who earned 24 votes to say the glory. The runner-up was Lamar Jackson with three votes, whereas Justin Herbert rounded out the highest three with one vote.
To view all 2024 award winners, click on right here.
From a pure passing standpoint, it’s onerous to have a greater season than what Bengals’ quarterback Joe Burrow put collectively in 2024.
Burrow comfortably led the league in quite a lot of fundamental statistical classes, together with dropbacks (725, subsequent closest was Caleb Williams with 682), passing makes an attempt (652, Aaron Rodgers with 584), completions (460, Baker Mayfield and Geno Smith with 407), passing yards (4,918, Jared Goff with 4,629) and passing touchdowns (43, Lamar Jackson and Baker Mayfield with 41).
Burrow additionally accounted for essentially the most first downs (264, 20 greater than second-place Mayfield) whereas recording the league’s third-best passer score (108.5) and adjusted completion share (79.6%, first-place Jalen Hurts was 80.1%). Much more spectacular is that these numbers may have been a lot better, as Burrow’s receivers dropped 27 of his passes, the third most within the NFL.
From a extra analytical perspective, Burrow’s 92.8 PFF passing grade barely beat out Lamar Jackson’s 92.6 for finest within the league. Burrow additionally tied Josh Allen with 37 big-time throws and tied for the sixth-best turnover-worthy play charge (1.9%).
Highest PFF Passing Grades in 2024
Regardless of struggling a wrist harm that lower his 2023 season brief, Burrow produced a clear invoice of well being in 2024, beginning all 17 of the Bengals’ video games whereas exhibiting no indicators of any lingering results from the harm — exterior of the occasional shot of him having to do some wrist-stretching workouts between performs. Solely three of Burrow’s begins featured a PFF passing grade under 70.0, none of which occurred after Week 10 or dipped under 66.4. Then again, Burrow had seven video games with a PFF passing grade of no less than 80.0, three of which soared over 90.0 — together with every of his last two video games with the Bengals’ playoff hopes hanging within the stability.
After a 4-8 begin that just about left the Bengals for lifeless, Burrow went on a tear, recording a 92.0 PFF passing grade throughout their five-game successful streak to finish the season. Solely Jackson’s 93.0 PFF passing grade was higher throughout that stretch, however Burrow’s got here on greater than double the dropbacks.
Burrow managed to perform all of this whereas coping with inconsistencies from his supporting solid. Other than Ja’Marr Chase‘s historic marketing campaign, Burrow lacked different playmakers for a lot of the season. Regardless of being very productive when wholesome, Tee Higgins missed 5 video games because of harm at varied factors all through the season and, after Tyler Boyd walked in free company, not one of the different broad receivers stepped into that No. 3 receiver function, as no different Bengals receiver to play significant snaps recorded a PFF receiving grade above 60.0.
His offensive line was inconsistent, as nicely, as solely Geno Smith was pressured on extra dropbacks. The Bengals had seven offensive linemen report no less than 100 pass-blocking snaps, and Ted Karras was the one one to report no less than a 70.0 PFF pass-blocking grade. Bengals guards had been significantly weak: Alex Cappa and Cordell Volson each allowed no less than 35 pressures whereas incomes sub-50.0 PFF pass-blocking grades.
That didn’t matter for Burrow, although, as his 75.6 PFF passing grade was the most effective within the NFL, as had been his 17 big-time throws whereas below duress. Burrow’s 58.5% completion share below stress ranked third, and his 1,438 yards and 15 touchdowns led the league. He threw simply three interceptions when pressured.
In line with PFF’s wins above substitute metric, Joe Burrow was far and away essentially the most priceless participant within the league, price 5.22 wins in 2024. The following closest participant was Lamar Jackson at 3.86. Actually, Joe Burrow’s WAR quantity is the best the league has seen since Tom Brady was price 6.15 WAR in 2017. Patrick Mahomes in 2018 was the one different quarterback to be price no less than 5 wins throughout that stretch.
Had the Bengals not completed 9-8 and missed out on the playoffs, it will have been onerous to argue in opposition to Burrow being NFL MVP somewhat than simply PFF’s Greatest Passer.
