Pitting Joe Burrow’s career stats against Tom Brady’s would be cruel, but the Bengals QB is on the right track ahead of Week 15 showdown vs Buccaneers
Joe Burrow is one of the best young quarterbacks in the NFL, while Tom Brady is the greatest quarterback in NFL history. To be honest, it wouldn't be fair to compare the Cincinnati Bengals star's career stats to that of Brady.
Burrow is currently in his third season in the league while Brady is in his 23rd. To add a bit of perspective, Brady had won four Super Bowls by the time Burrow started his collegiate career in 2015.
Given the gap, there is a major similarity between Burrow and Brady ahead of their Week 15 matchup. Brady started in a Super Bowl in his second season in the league with the New England Patriots. Last season, Burrow started in Super Bowl 56 for the Bengals versus the Los Angeles Rams in his sophomore season in the league.
Both teams will look to get back to the Super Bowl with their respective franchise quarterbacks this season. Both Brady and Burrow want to lead their teams back to the big game for the second time in three seasons. In the case of Burrow, for the second straight season.
Their upcoming game at Raymond James Stadium has Joe Burrow preparing like it's another game. When asked about the comparison between him and the three-time NFL MVP, the Bengals didn't seem to care all that much.
Burrow said:
“It is what it is. “I don't really pay attention to it. He's Tom and I'm Joe.”
Although the former LSU star doesn't want to discuss the comparison, his numbers do the talking for him.
Taking a deep dive into Joe Burrow and Tom Brady's numbers since Burrow's rookie season
The best way to fully give a fair statistical comparison is from when Burrow entered the league in the 2020 - 2021 season. Here's a look at both quarterbacks and their numbers since the 2020 - 2021 season:
In that stretch, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback was second to Kansas City Chiefs star Patrick Mahomes for yards and third in touchdowns. Joe Burrow is third in both quarterback rating and completion percentage since the 2020-2021 season.
Something else to note, Tom Brady started seven more games than Burrow in that stretch. Due to a knee injury, the Bengals quarterback missed time during his rookie season.
Looking at how close they are statistically, a healthy Burrow might have more yards and touchdowns than Brady. Most fans see the Bengals quarterback as the next Tom Brady given his age (26) as he's had seven game-winning drives in his career. Since the 2020-2021 season, Brady has 11 such drives on his resume.
One thing is for sure: Joe Burrow is the future of the NFL as Brady represents both the past and present. The next decade or so will tell whether the Cincinnati Bengals star will have a Hall of Fame career like Brady's.
If you use any of the above quotes, please credit the Cincinnati Enquirer and H/T Sportskeeda.