"This is a building block" - NFL analyst draws parallels between Joe Burrow's MVP-esque season and Drew Brees' Saints career

Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals' can still make the playoffs but it's highly unlikely. They not only have to win their game against the Pittsburgh Steelers but also have to bank on the Denver Broncos losing to the Kansas City Chiefs backups and the 4-12 New York Jets to beat the Miami Dolphins.

If the ball doesn't bounce in their favor in Week 18, Burrow's heroics will go to waste. However, analyst David Dennis Jr. believes the Bengals shouldn't see this as a failed season but as a lesson.

He compared the quarterback's performance this season to Drew Brees' time in New Orleans and claimed the Bengals shouldn't repeat the Saints' mistake.

"I lived in New Orleans, I watched every snap that Drew Brees had with the Saints. This is a Drew Brees season. Drew Brees only had four times in 11 seasons where those Saints teams had a better than 25th-ranked defense. This happens a lot. What did Drew Brees get when he had a serviceable defense? They won the Super Bowl." - David Dennis Jr. said on "First Take," (2:25 onwards).

He added that Burrow's performance wasn't a flash in the pan. The analyst believes the quarterback is capable of playing at this level year in and year out.

"This is a building block to the Cincinnati Bengals to say, 'Hey, we need to build some sort of serviceable defense around this dude, and we can do something.' This is not the only season Joe Burrow is going to be doing this. This franchise will be fine, but it's up to that front office to figure out how to give him some sort of help," - David Dennis Jr. added.

Joe Burrow confident he can recreate this season's heroics in the future

The Bengals' 8-8 record isn't an accurate reflection of Joe Burrow's performance this season. He leads the league in passing yards with 4,641, and his 42 touchdown passes are also the most by any quarterback this season.

Many believe he should be named the MVP. However, Burrow believes the Bengals' record isn't good enough for him to be considered for the coveted prize. But he believes it's only a matter of time before he wins it.

Burrow needs 359 passing yards on Saturday to become only the 10th quarterback in NFL history to throw for 5,000 yards in a campaign. He'll look to cap off his stellar regular season with another astonishing performance and keep his team's playoff dream alive for at least one more day.