Colin Cowherd Offers Lofty, Cross-Sport Comparison for Joe Burrow

The Cincinnati Bengals appeared to be heading to a completely fruitless season despite high expectations when they floundered to a 4-8 start. Not that it was Joe Burrow's fault. The quarterback was arguably having the best year of his career despite the .333 winning percentage and he's played even better as the Bengals have ripped off four straight victories to enter Week 18 with a chance to sneak into the playoffs. And no one in the AFC wants to play them because Burrow, along with Ja'Marr Chase, can be completely unstoppable—which is major cause for concern in a one-and-done situation.

All year the discussion around Burrow is whether or not he belongs in the MVP conversation as he's excelling personally as the team as a whole has struggled. Colin Cowherd tried a new twist on things on Monday, trying to draw a comparison to another transcendent talent that almost singlehandedly elevated a flawed team to great heights.

LeBron James.

"This is a 3-14 team without Joe Burrow," Cowherd said. "It reminds me of LeBron in Cleveland the first time."

"This is a 3-14 team without Joe Burrow... It reminds me of LeBron in Cleveland the first time."

— @ColinCowherd on Bengals keeping playoff hopes alive pic.twitter.com/hERNCBD8FC
— Herd w/Colin Cowherd (@TheHerd) December 30, 2024

James carried the Cavaliers to the NBA Finals on his back the first time before losing. Burrow was Superman for the Bengals the year they won the AFC but could not overcome Matthew Stafford's Rams.

Now, everyone will remember that James ultimately opted to find greener pastures by taking his talents to South Beach and the Heat. Burrow signed a hefty contract extension to stay with the Bengals through 2029 and it's hard to imagine that he'd become a gun for hire—unless Cincinnati decided a gut rehab is the only way going forward.

It is a fair comparison though because we can look back in retrospect and fairly argue that Cleveland wasted James's talent the first time around. In real time we can look at the Bengals and thinking they're doing the same thing with Burrow.

Unless something otherworldly happens in the final week of the regular season, Burrow won't be a serious MVP candidate. Getting compared to LeBron is a nice consolation prize.