Cincinnati Bengals: Weekly MVPs from Week 7 win over Ravens

The Cincinnati Bengals not only won but put up 41 points in a thrashing of the Baltimore Ravens. There were a few people who believed in the Bengals but most fans were hoping to just compete.

Now, it’s gonna be hard to not get excited about the Bengals and expect a playoff appearance. With all the good things to look at this week, let’s take a look at the MVPs on all sides of the ball.

Cincinnati Bengals MVPs

Offensive MVP: Joe Burrow

I almost put Ja’Marr Chase here and Evan McPherson as the Rookie MVP but then I remembered that Joe Burrow had the game of his life, against the red hot rival Ravens, in Baltimore. So how do you not go with the fearless leader?

Burrow threw for the most yards in a game since beginning his NFL career with 416 yards and three touchdowns. He looked confident and the o-line did well to protect Burrow, which is how the Bengals succeeded.

Not only did Burrow flourish behind this line but so did Joe Mixon and Samaje Perine. The offense garnered 520 yards of offense, the most this Ravens team has allowed this season. With the running game humming as it was on Sunday, it allows Burrow to open the passing game.

Phil Simms compared Burrow to Joe Montana but it’s early for those kinds of comparisons. It’s easy to see why Simms would make that comparison though. Burrow doesn’t light up every team like Patrick Mahomes but he is efficient and has complete control of his offense. I feel comfortable with Burrow having the ball needing to make a play.

If you’re not a Bengals fan I don’t think I can really state what Burrow’s performance means. Lamar Jackson has had the Bengals number since entering the league. The Bengals have always struggled against division opponents. However, with Burrow, it looks like those days might be done.

Even if they don’t win every division game, they will no longer be a pushover with Burrow at the helm.

Cincinnati Bengals MVPs

Rookie MVP: Ja’Marr Chase

I’ll admit I was skeptical when the Bengals drafted Ja’Marr Chase instead of looking to improve their offensive line. I can also admit when I am wrong. Chase was the correct first-round pick, as this kid can just flat-out play football.

Chase now holds the record for most receiving yards through his first seven games. He is on pace for 1,830 yards for the season! Obviously, there is going to be a regression to the mean. Chase will not always get 201 yards a game, however, it is clear that the LSU product is looking at 1,000+ yards and 10+ touchdowns.

Ja’Marr Chase looks to make good on his promise of breaking records.

Chase is the deep threat that was promised when the Bengals drafted him, but, he doesn’t have to burn defenses over the top to get 80-yard touchdowns. He can also just break tackles and take it 80 plus yards to the house. We saw last week he is not afraid to get his hands dirty and block. He is an all-around player who has a very bright future.

He’s the no-brainer rookie MVP.

Cincinnati Bengals MVPs

Defensive MVP: Sam Hubbard

As our own Leigh Oleszczak stated in her winners and losers article, Sam Hubbard had possibly his best game as a Bengal. Picking up Trey Hendrickson in free agency was a great move by the Bengals in the offseason but pair that with the extension Hubbard signe and it makes the ends of the defensive line a nightmare for opposing offenses.

Hendrickson has been snatching up all the headlines of the 2021 Bengals defense. However, Hubbard is deserving of the headlines.

The defense is much improved since last season, especially on the defensive line. Hubbard had nine QB pressures against Lamar Jackson and totaled five tackles including 2.5 sacks. The Bengals had a total of five sacks on Sunday.

Jackson still had a solid stat day, but the Ravens weren’t going to score with the way the defense stifled the potential MVP candidate and the rest of his team.

The Bengals did exactly what they needed to do in order to beat the Ravens. A big part of that was stopping the run up-front. All of that was led by a brilliant defensive effort by Sam Hubbard.

Hopefully, Hubbard and Hendrickson can keep this caliber of play when they face Cleveland. That two-headed monster at running back will be tough to stop.

Cincinnati Bengals MVPs

Special Teams MVP: Evan McPherson

There was not a ton of punting but when there was, no returners lit up the field. However, Evan McPherson continues his solid rookie season at the placekicking position. I don’t hold the Packers game against him simply because the weather was tough, and Mason Crosby also missed three field goals.

Minus that Packers game, McPherson has had quite a nice rookie season. The Bengals have had a tough time with kickers in the past but the Florida rookie appears to bring consistency to the position that the Bengals have been missing.

McPherson was perfect on the day hitting two field goals one from 52 and one from 30. He also nailed all five extra-point attempts. You can’t really ask anything else of your kicker on in a game. Again, minus that Packers game and the one missed field goal against the Jags, McPherson has been everything the fans could have hoped for. He’s 75% on the season on field goals.

Since he is a rookie there is plenty of room to grow. McPherson will grow and it was a good move getting him with a draft pick, as extra points aren’t the gimme points they use to be.

Kickers are no longer dime a dozen, so if you can find a good one and snatch them up, do it. He might not be the next Justin Tucker, but McPherson has a solid future with the Bengals.

What do you think? Did I miss any MVPs?