Bengals' Joe Burrow is one of two unanimous top-tier QBs in mass NFL survey

Quarterback debates drive quite a bit of any and all NFL-related discourse, and regardless of how you stack the best of the best, Cincinnati Bengals superstar Joe Burrow is among the elites.

Some contrarians such as professional Madden player Kurt Benkert take courageous stands against the grain and suggest Burrow was drafted into a highly favorable situation. They'll even tell you with a straight face that, if any of Burrow's top-flight peers were drafted to the Bengals, they'd have won a Super Bowl by now.

Coming off a season in which he led the NFL in passing yards and passing touchdowns, Burrow is actually regarded as the second-best QB. That's right. Ahead of the Bills' Josh Allen and AFC North rival Lamar Jackson.

Experts conclude only Joe Burrow and Patrick Mahomes are unanimous Tier 1 QBs

Mike Sando of The Athletic just released his annual list of QB tiers, which surveyed a collection of 50 anonymous panelists. They consist of current and former GMs, assistant GMs, eight head coaches, 15 coordinators, and other executives and coaches. A group of folks who are as engrossed in football and ball knowledge as you could ever find.

Not a single one amongst the 50 surveyed opined that Burrow belonged anywhere else but the very top tier. I'll share the full list below, along with the three notable quotes that Sando shared about our beloved Joe.

One head coach said Burrow is, "the closest thing to Joe Montana that I have seen." Another defensive coach labeled Burrow "a stud" who you must confuse pre-snap or he'll make you pay. He also respects Burrow's arm talent, which is underrated in perpetuity because of the generational rockets attached to the right shoulders of Allen and Mahomes.

What stood out most to me — a big statement considering the Montana comparison — was as follows. An offensive line coach who would know if it's a quarterback's fault for taking too many sacks chimed in with this:

"To me, it's Mahomes and then Burrow if I had to rank them. Burrow could be a 1 with a red cross on him. They don't protect him, and he gets the s--- knocked out of him constantly."

I've shared the following data more than once in my Stripe Hype work already. Still bears repeating here.

Hey, Kurt? Just wanted to check in buddy.

Speaking of offensive lines and Josh Allen, people might forget this but all Burrow did several years ago was go into Buffalo and dismantle Allen's Bills 27-10 with three of his starting offensive linemen sidelined by injuries.

Also, anyone who says Burrow was drafted into a better situation than Lamar was to the Ravens apparently doesn't know NFL history whatsoever. Look no further than the two meetings between those QBs last year, when Burrow put up 820 passing yards and 72 points but lost both times.

Shall I continue down that path? Yes I shall. Because apparently some of you non-Bengals fans still need to get a grip on this man's greatness.

I'm not saying Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, or Patrick Mahomes are bad quarterbacks. From a pure "playing the position" standpoint, though, you'd be hard-pressed to argue that Burrow isn't the best on the planet right now, especially given the degree of difficulty in Cincinnati.

What separates Burrow, in my humble opinion, is the fact that no matter how bad his pass protection is, or how many points the Bengals give up, or whatever scheme defenses throw at him, he is still borderline unstoppable — and it's been this way for a long time.

I can't wait for Burrow to finally lift that Lombardi Trophy. Hey Bengals, just give him an *average* defense and *slightly below average* pass protection, and watch him give your organization that first-ever Super Bowl. Really not asking for the moon here.

More Bengals News and Analysis