Dave Portnoy tears into Joe Burrow's MVP candidacy amid Bengals QB's surge for the crown - "Utterly ridiculous"

Joe Burrow has stepped up when his team has needed him the most. From a 4-8 start, he has led the Cincinnati Bengals to a four-game win streak to keep the team alive in the playoff hunt.

During Cincy's win streak, Burrow has completed 75% of his passes for 1,304 yards, with 12 touchdowns and three interceptions. He leads the NFL in both passing yards (4,641) as well as touchdown passes (42).

That had led to some clamor for him to be named MVP of the 2024 season, but Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy has urged fans to hold off on such talk. He wrote on his social media on Tuesday:

"The Joe Burrow for MVP convo is utterly ridiculous. He’s great. Love him. And yes Bengals are one of the worst teams in league without him. BUT the Bills are equally bad without Josh Allen and they are the 2 seed. Get a grip people."

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Joe Burrow downplays MVP chances as Bengals face crucial game against Steelers

If Joe Burrow is to be asked, however, he does not see himself as a frontrunner. Speaking to the press on Tuesday, he acknowledged that while he would like to win the award in the near future, now was not the likeliest time:

'I doubt it. Usually you have to win your division... It is what it is. That's how it's voted and I don't necessarily disagree with it.'

He also discussed the impending game against the Steelers, more particularly what adjustments they had to make. The first time they met, it was a high-scoring affair that the Bengals lost, 44-38.

Burrow was blunt about how he wanted the game to unfold:

"They're gonna make plays on defense... They're gonna cause turnovers, and sometimes not a lot that you can do about that. It's just about staying focused, moving on to the next play, and trying to execute each play to the best of your ability."

He continued by sternly warning his offensive corps to avoid replicating what happened at Heinz Field in 2022:

"TJ Watt jumped up caught my ball on a choice route, and then got slammed, and I threw a pick. Then another time, I was throwing a curl route, and somebody tipped it at the line of scrimmage, and I threw a pick. And there's just nothing you can do about that."

Kickoff for the game is at 8 PM ET on ESPN.