Breaking: Controversy erupts as Cincinnati Bengals’ fans are divided over their QB Joe Burrow seeking a $90 million pay rise that would pay him more than…..

Having won the College Football Championship the same year, Joe Burrow entered the NFL and began to establish himself as a future superstar. He has guided his Cincinnati Bengals to one Super Bowl in five seasons, therefore augmenting that impression. He does not make it to the playoffs, though; this season marks the third time out of those five seasons.

Two runs of games hurt the Cincinnati Bengals. Their season began with them losing three straight games. Then another three game losing run begged some interesting issues. Many wonder if the front office did enough to deploy a strong defense.

Still another issue that ought to have been raised is whether Joe Burrow has done enough. While some felt he had, others felt his team would have made it into the playoffs if he had followed his bill of work. Given those stories, should his team fall short of the playoffs, the quarterback’s legacy now hangs precariously.

Mistakes in close quarters games
Joe Burrow looked less than perfect at the beginning of this season after his club dropped three straight games. His wrist’s constant flexion revealed he was still in some discomfort when tossing the football. But following those three losses came a victory over the struggling Carolina Panthers.

But it was the game following that that began to steer the stories towards Burrow. At home, they fell short to the Baltimore Ravens three points in overtime. With little over three minutes remaining, the QB’s interception in the lead let the Ravens recover and score to tie in that loss.

That interception infuriated many like Shannon Sharpe, who believed the quarterback was not getting enough criticism for his errors. Sharpe thought Burrow’s touchdowns and yards were glossing over those mistakes and that one cannot keep blaming their defense.

Their tight loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers brought Sharpe’s point of view once more onto stage. Two expensive strip sacks presented the Steelers with opportunities to widen their lead. One may point the finger on the underperforming offensive line, but another line of reasoning that fits exceptional quarterback is that they strive to avoid approaching sacks knowing they exist.

Burrow appeared totally blind to the pass rushers slinking around his linemen. Along with interceptions against the Eagles, another close game at the time, these resulted in losses that might have turned around. Every one of those losses has contributed to perhaps terminating their season early.

The Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins impact
It is not as if the Iowa native threw the 4641 yards and 42 touchdowns on his own. In Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, he possessed maybe the best receiving combo in the NFL. Any team would dearly want such a duo at their disposal.

Still, the Cincinnati Bengals excelled one-sided. They signed free agent strong receiving tight end Mike Gesicki in the offseason. Add second year player Andrei Iosivas, and the Bengals possessed a top receiving core. Then include in the genius of the coaching staff while calling plays; the Bengals had an offensive that would frighten even the best defenders. It would be strange if a quarterback with such aptitude failed to build up such stats.

Hence, such figures are not only of Joe Burrow’s doing. He has a select group of players that got him there. Conversely, the fumbles, interceptions, and strip sacks had nothing to do with them. This raises issues regarding the capacity of the outstanding quarterback to close out games.

Joe Burrow passing for attending championship events
Shannon Sharpe has also attacked Joe Burrow for receiving too much of a pass simply because he previously attended the Super Bowl along with his College Football Championship. Those two visits to championship games, in his opinion, have established the story that Burrow is exceptional.

Well worth his pay, the quarterback is a notch above many. Still, the pass angle carries some water. Although the Bengals defense has been clearly poor this season, other errors have been underlined as the cause of the poor run of the team.

Apart from that, simply attending Championship events leads one to believe that the former LSU standout is outstanding. Deshaun Watson is another athlete who won a College Football Championship and was scorching hot in the first few years of his career.

Now, though, the former Clemson standout is a turnover monster and would most certainly be out of the league absent his contract. It’s not to suggest Joe Burrow will carry on his legacy. However, the results-oriented economy that sports works by does not allow one to argue that a player is outstanding based just on prior achievements.

If Joe Burrow had been outstanding, he may have avoided such mistakes and guided his side to triumphs. Over their careers, elite quarterbacks have accomplished that. Consequently, the legacy of the quarterback will suffer should the Cincinnati Bengals call off their season on Sunday.