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The Cincinnati Bengals defeated the Kansas City Chiefs 27-24 at Paycor Stadium on Sunday, trailing 8-4 in the season and building a bigger cushion in the playoff race.
Much of the win can be attributed to quarterback Joe Burrow, who completed 25 of 31 passes for 286 yards and two touchdowns, in addition to 46 yards and a record on 11 carries.
Burrow outplayed Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who completed just 16 of 27 passes for 223 yards and a touchdown, in addition to catching nine yards and a hit on two carries.
Bengals running back Samaje Perine also put in an excellent performance, replacing Joe Mixon, who was out with a concussion. Perine rushed for 106 yards with 21 carries and caught six passes for 49 yards.
Still, it was Burrow who most impressed NFL Twitter, and now he’s being lauded for his dominance over the Chiefs:
NFL on CBS 🏈 @NFLonCBS
“[Joe Burrow] is the modern day Joe Montana, except he has a better arm…”@PhilSimmsQB is IMPRESSED by the < a href="https://twitter.com/Bengals?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">QB’s composure and productivity from @Bengals #RuleTheJungle pic.twitter.com/tvZicp98VD
SportsTalkATL.com @SportsTalkATL
Joe Burrow is the best QB in football. Period. Nobody is better https://t.co/RjOEVSeQvJ
Damien Martin @DamonMartin
Joe Burrow > Patrick Mahomes. just say #Bengals #WhoDey pic.twitter.com/Nz6HJgT3Cb
Brando Simeo Starkey @BrandoStarkey
Burrow is the best QB in the league. pic.twitter.com/B1PerRobCXK
Burrow is now 3-0 in his career against the Chiefs, averaging 327 passing yards per game against Kansas City, along with nine total touchdowns and one interception.
The Burrow-Mahomes debate still has a long way to go, but the Bengals quarterback certainly has a head start on his counterpart at the moment.
Cincinnati, although it tops the AFC North with the Baltimore Ravens, currently occupies the AFC’s fifth playoff spot ahead of the Miami Dolphins and the New York Jets. The New England Patriots and Los Angeles Chargers are in the playoff bubble, so the Bengals must keep winning to hold their own off the field and keep their hopes alive of outperforming the Ravens.