In a recent ranking of the NFL’s Top 100 players, as voted on by the players themselves, Cincinnati Bengals star quarterback Joe Burrow came in at No. 39 overall behind other, less accomplished quarterbacks like Tua Tagovailoa and Jordan Love. The ranking is questionable, to say the least.

Listen, it’s fair to have concerns about Burrow’s ability to avoid injuries and stay out on the field, as he has suffered two season-ending injuries in his four seasons in the NFL.

But, when Burrow is healthy — as he hopefully will be moving forward –he’s arguably the second-best quarterback in the entire NFL behind Kansas City Chiefs signal-caller Patrick Mahomes and a proven playoff performer who has already led Cincinnati to a Super Bowl and two AFC championship games.

Tagovailoa, on the other hand, has a 0-1 career playoff record, while Jordan Love has one playoff victory to his name. Neither guy is better than Burrow, even considering the fact that he’s coming off of a wrist surgery.

Burrow shares his thoughts on the low ranking

Clearly, we’re fired up about Burrow’s low ranking on the list. But what about the man himself? The Bengals star QB recently shared his thoughts regarding his place on the Top 100 list, and he kept it pretty diplomatic, acknowledging that he needs to go out there and again prove how good he is in 2024.

“I think I’m obviously better than that,” Burrow said of the ranking. “But when you’re not playing … I didn’t have exactly a season that would have put me any higher than that. When you’re hurt, you really can’t complain much about any accolades or anything, until you go out and prove yourself again.”

While the perceived slight might serve as a temporary motivator, Burrow doesn’t need any external motivation to be at his best out on the field.

“Maybe it motivates you for a day,” Burrow said. “… I don’t think you can continuously rely on that kind of motivation. You have to be intrinsically motivated to play at the level I want to play at and be as good as I want to be.”

Burrow is better than the 39th-best player in the NFL. We know that, and he knows that. But, he’s taking the right approach to the ranking; not letting it get to him, while preparing to remind everyone just how good he is.