Chad Ochocinco picks $275,000,000 star over Patrick Mahomes as best QB in NFL
Former Cincinnati Bengals superstar Chad Ochocinco Johnson is no stranger to making outlandish claims. The retired wide receiver made headlines last month after claiming he beat LeBron James in a one-on-one pickup basketball game, which left NFL Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe dumbfounded.
Johnson's latest claim isn't as peculiar, but it raised some eyebrows. In a recent interview with TMZ, the former Bengals wide receiver claimed that Joe Burrow is the best quarterback in the league, ranking him above Kansas City Chiefs' Patrick Mahomes, widely regarded as the league's top signal-caller.
Johnson said:
"A healthy Joe Burrow is the best quarterback in the NFL. You can argue Patrick Mahomes, you can argue what other quarterbacks, but he just is. What he's done for that franchise in such a short amount of time, I mean, how can he not be [the best]?"
Burrow is among the NFL's finest quarterbacks, however, Johnson's claim that he's the best in the league can be classified as a hot take.
Joe Burrow vs. Patrick Mahomes: Do the stats back Ochocinco's claim?
In the accolades department, Patrick Mahomes is way ahead of Joe Burrow. The Chiefs quarterback has won two league MVP awards and two Super Bowl MVP awards while leading his team to the Super Bowl thrice. On the flip side, the Bengals quarterback has one Comeback Player of the Year award under his belt along with one Super Bowl appearance.
Mahomes has thrown for 2,442 passing yards, while Burrow has recorded 1,861 yards in one fewer game this season. The Chiefs quarterback has 17 passing touchdowns and eight interceptions, while the Bengals superstar has 12 touchdowns and four interceptions. Mahomes' 258 rushing yards this season dwarf Burrow's 61 yards. However, the latter rarely takes off with the ball in his hands.
Mahomes' quarterback rating of 73.0 ranks third in the NFL, while Burrow's 56.6 is only 14th best in the league. Barring their head-to-head record, which the Bengals quarterback leads 3-1, the Chiefs quarterback is statistically ahead by almost every metric.
Burrow can catch up to Mahomes, and even surpass his achievements, however, it's hard to crown him the best quarterback in the league ahead of the Chiefs superstar. The two quarterbacks will go head-to-head on December 31st in the penultimate week of the regular season, and the victor might make their case to hold the crown of the NFL's best quarterback.