Are Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals a real threat in the AFC?

It looks like the AFC North now belongs to Joe Burrow –– at least for this year.

Burrow put on an electric performance Sunday, clinching the division and a playoff spot for the Cincinnati Bengals for the first time in six years.

In the process, the 25-year-old QB and his former LSU teammate, Ja'Marr Chase, set numerous records in a thrilling, 34-31 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs.

Burrow scorched the K.C. defense for 446 passing yards and four touchdowns, completing 30 of his 39 pass attempts — a 76.9% completion rate — for a career-high 148.0 passer rating. Rookie wideout Chase finished with a whopping 266 receiving yards and three touchdowns on just 11 catches.

Cincinnati trailed for the entirety of the game until it converted a third-and-27 to set up the game-winning field goal. Then the Bengals won their third straight.

Now, heading into the NFL's inaugural Week 18 slate, while a staggering 18 teams remain in contention for playoff spots, Cincinnati is solely focused on clinching the No. 1 seed.

The Bengals (10-6) can clinch the top spot in the AFC, plus home-field advantage, with a win over Cleveland to close the season and a Chiefs (11-5) loss to the Broncos, a Titans (11-5) loss to the Texans and a Patriots loss/tie against the Dolphins. Cincy could also grab the top seed with a win, plus Chiefs and Titans losses and a Bills win over the Jets.

Could the Bengals be a force to be reckoned with once the postseason unfolds?

If you ask Chris Broussard, it's a no-brainer.

On Monday's "First Things First," Broussard explained why the 10-6 Bengals are going to give other teams a run for their money in 2022.

"Joe Burrow –– for him to go and throw for 446 yards and four touchdowns against a Chiefs defense that hadn't given up 300 yards passing since Josh Allen did it when the Chiefs were struggling mightily in October –– says a lot," he said on Monday's "First Things First." "When everybody said, ‘Oh, don’t go to Cincinnati. You should sit out,' he said, ‘I can go there and change the culture.’ And that's what this guy has done.

"The pass defense has been bad for Cincinnati this year, and yet they go ahead and hold Patrick Mahomes to zero touchdowns passing over the last three quarters and just three points in the second half. My point is that Cincinnati is a real threat in the AFC."

What's more, Burrow to Chase has been money this season. Chase accounts for 1,429 of Burrow's 4,611 passing yards (31%), 13 of Burrow's 34 passing TDs (38.2%) and 79 of Burrow's 366 completions (21.6%). 

In addition, since 1978 (when the NFL implemented a 16-game season), the most career yards between a QB and WR who were college teammates is 2,581 by Marc Wilson and Todd Christensen (BYU teammates in 1977 and teammates on the Raiders from 1980 to 1987).

With 1,429 between Burrow and Chase so far, they are already more than halfway to that record.

Broussard's cohost, Nick Wright, shared his opinion, noting that Sunday's win was "the best win for the franchise in 20-plus years." Wright also revealed what he believes to be on the horizon for Cincinnati, pointing at the connection between Burrow and Chase.

"Ja'Marr Chase just had, I believe, the greatest game a rookie wide receiver has ever had," he said. "He is in the midst of — arguably — the greatest rookie season a receiver has ever had, and if there's any questions left about [if] Burrow-to-Chase is going to be one of the most devastating quarterback-wide receiver combos for the next decade, those questions are done now."

Colin Cowherd went as far as to say that Burrow and the Bengals proved Sunday that while the AFC might go through K.C. for the foreseeable future, K.C. will have to go through Cincy, calling Burrow an "exceptional, transformational, young quarterback."

"[Cincinnati is going to] be a roadblock for Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes, and that was on display [Sunday]." 

The future is still a ways away. 

But for now, it appears that Cincinnati is here to stay.