Bengals' Joe Burrow Eyes NFL MVP, Says It's 'Not No. 1 on My List for Sure'

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow wants to win an NFL MVP award, but it's not the main prize he has his eyes set on.

Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Burrow said he "eventually" hopes to win MVP.

"But it's not No. 1 on my list for sure," he added.

Even though Burrow didn't specify, it's safe to assume the No. 1 thing on his list is winning a Super Bowl. The 26-year-old has come close in each of the past two seasons, losing to the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl 56 and Kansas City Chiefs in the 2023 AFC Championship Game.

Through the first four weeks of this season, it looked Burrow and the Bengals wouldn't even have the opportunity to make the playoffs, let alone get to the Super Bowl. He injured his calf early in training camp and was clearly limited by it into the regular season, including aggravating it in a Week 2 loss to the Baltimore Ravens.

Since the start of Week 5, though, the Bengals have looked like one of the best teams in the AFC. They have won four straight games and are averaging 26.5 points per contest during that span.

Burrow has put himself back into the MVP conversation for leading the Bengals amid this winning streak. He's averaging 283.3 passing yards with 10 touchdowns, two interceptions and a 75.8 completion percentage in the past four games.

Per DraftKings Sportsbook, Burrow has the fifth-best odds to win NFL MVP at +700 (bet $100 to win $700). Lamar Jackson, Jalen Hurts and Patrick Mahomes are tied for the best odds (+350), with Tua Tagovailoa running in fourth place (+650).

Burrow has never received a first-place MVP vote in his career. When the ballot expanded to 10 candidates for the Associated Press last year, he finished fourth with 128 total points. Mahomes won the award and received 48 out of 50 first-place votes.

Despite Burrow's improved performance and the Bengals' recent hot streak, they are hanging on for dear life in the playoff race right now because of how deep the AFC is. They are in last place in the AFC North based on tiebreakers with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns but own the No. 7 seed in the postseason standings.