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Last season, it was starting to look like the one team that had the edge on the Kansas City Chiefs was the Cincinnati Bengals. Joe Burrow had won his first three matchups against Patrick Mahomes, including the playoffs. The Chiefs finally broke the losing streak against the Bengals last season in the AFC Championship game.
Even that game was close as Kansas City won 23-20 and there was some controversial officiating. Former Bengals and Raiders quarterback Carson Palmer has no reason to like the Chiefs very much. Despite Mahomes winning two Super Bowls and MVPs in his career while Burrow hasn’t won one of either, Palmer believes that the latter is the better player.
“I think Joe is the best quarterback in the league. I know Patrick [Mahomes] is phenomenal, but I just think Joe’s more consistent,” Palmer said on the April 5 episode of “The QB Room” podcast. “He’s more consistent. He’s more accountable to run the system and the play that’s called and not feel like, ‘Well, he didn’t win last time and get open for me, so I’m gonna do it with my feet,’ and then before you know it, you’re sacked for a four-yard loss because you tried to make two or three guys miss. Joe is just … talk about not having a weakness. Mentally strong, physically tough, accurate, can throw it far enough, fast enough, gets the ball out quick and then he can actually do a lot with his legs.”
Palmer Stirs Controversy With Comments
Mahomes is widely considered the best quarterback in the NFL and it’s hard to argue against that notion considering he just won a second Super Bowl MVP. Palmer’s comments made the rounds and people were not happy with what he had to say.
As noted earlier, Palmer is a former Bengals quarterback so he has a connection to Burrow. He also played for the Raiders, which is one of the Chiefs’ biggest rivals. In fact, his first game as a Raider was a short-notice game against Kansas City where he threw three interceptions in a game he wasn’t supposed to play in. Needless to say, he likely has a bias against the Chiefs in this discussion.
Can Burrow Overcome Mahomes as Best QB?
Burrow isn’t at the same level of athlete as Mahomes. The latter has a bigger arm, is faster and more elusive. Burrow will never be as physically dominant as Mahomes. However, that doesn’t mean he can’t overcome him as the best quarterback in the league. Burrow is still 3-1 against Mahomes in his career. The two are likely going to have many more battles throughout the next decade.
The only way for Burrow to be looked at as the superior player is to keep beating Mahomes. Peyton Manning was more talented than Tom Brady but the latter went 11-6 against the former and is considered the greatest quarterback of all time. However, Burrow has to start winning Super Bowls if he wants to pass up Mahomes. It’s going to take a few years before he can realistically be in the conversation. It should be one of the most interesting rivalries to watch in the NFL for years to come.
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