Joe Burrow's hot start to the season has the Bengals ahead of schedule
As the NFL calendar reaches Week 4, there might not be a bigger surprise so far this season than the Cincinnati Bengals sitting atop the AFC North.
After winning just four games in 2020, the Bengals are currently 3-1 and appear primed to blow past last season's win total. And right at the center of their early-season success has been the first overall pick of the 2020 NFL Draft, quarterback Joe Burrow.
Less than a full year after suffering a torn ACL and MCL that ended his rookie season, on top of only playing one series in the 2021 preseason, Burrow has stormed back with a vengeance in his sophomore season.
He has looked not only like a player worthy of the No. 1 pick, but also like one of the NFL's elite quarterbacks just 14 starts into his career.
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Burrow's quick return to the field and rise to elite status might be a surprise considering the severity of his injury, but based on recent history, there is a precedent for quarterbacks tearing their ACL and immediately returning to elite status.
In 2008, Tom Brady missed 15 games after tearing his ACL in the New England Patriots' season opener against the Kansas City Chiefs.
When he returned in 2009, he started all 16 games while throwing 28 touchdown passes (sixth in the NFL), while posting a 74.1 QBR (fifth in the NFL).
Carson Palmer missed 10 games in 2014 before returning in 2015 to throw 35 passing touchdowns (second in the NFL) with his 76.4 QBR being the best in the league.
Similar to Burrow, Deshaun Watson tore his ACL during his rookie season in 2017 before returning in 2018 to post a 103.1 passer rating (sixth in the NFL), while also leading five game-winning drives, which was second in the NFL.
All three quarterbacks won at least 10 games and led their teams to the playoffs.
Burrow is currently on pace for 36 touchdown passes while posting a passer rating of 113.8, a higher rating than Brady, Palmer and Watson in their first seasons back from injury.
According to Colin Cowherd, Burrow has traits that remind him of one of the greatest quarterbacks to ever play, which he believes will be a necessity if Burrow is going to carry a dysfunctional Bengals franchise.
He explained why on "The Herd."
"He's really good," said Cowherd. "I don't want to be hyperbolic but boy, he's got some Joe Montana. He's just smooth and he throws the ball so pretty and he's so accurate. He has such control.
"The Bengals don't even have a general manager. Their 86-year-old owner Mike Brown is one of the big meddlers in the league. They're cheap, they don't make any trades on draft day. [Burrow] is going to have to absolutely overcome this franchise."
If there is a man for the job, Burrow appears to be the guy, having already provided hope to a franchise that has not had a winning season since 2015.
Based on the early returns from their new franchise quarterback, that streak of futility could be nearing an end.
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