{
  "id": 131918,
  "title": "The Athletic ranks Joe Burrow as one of four top-tier quarterbacks",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/04/the-athletic-ranks-joe-burrow-as-one-of-four-top-tier-quarterbacks-131918",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-08-04T14:02:57.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/athletic-ranks-joe-burrow-one-140257647.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The Athletic has designated Joe Burrow, the Cincinnati Bengals' quarterback, as one of the four elite passers in the National Football League. This assessment comes from a poll involving 21 NFL executives and 29 coaches, with 46 out of 50 ranking Burrow as a Tier 1 quarterback. An offensive coach praised Burrow's exceptional talent, stating, \"He’s so talented at throwing the ball, and he sees it so well.\" Despite concerns over his injury history, the offensive coordinator emphasized that Burrow's unparalleled passing skills justify the risks, as he remains \"an unbelievable passer\" and a crucial factor in scoring points and securing victories. Burrow is joined by Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, and Matthew Stafford in the Tier 1 category. The Bengals are set to face several Tier 2 quarterbacks, including Lamar Jackson, Baker Mayfield, Trevor Lawrence, and Jayden Daniels, in their upcoming games. They are projected to play eight games against Tier 3 quarterbacks, such as Aaron Rodgers and the Pittsburgh Steelers. The article also mentions two Tier 4 quarterbacks in Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders, along with others like Malik Willis and Michael Penix, Jr. The Bengals are scheduled to host Detroit in their preseason opener and kick off the regular season against the Buccaneers.",
  "summary": "See where The Athletic ranks Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow and the opposing QBs on the Bengals 2026 schedule.",
  "key_points": [
    "The Athletic ranks Joe Burrow among NFL's top four quarterbacks.",
    "46 out of 50 NFL executives and coaches agree on Burrow's Tier 1 status.",
    "Bengals face Tier 2 and Tier 3 quarterbacks in upcoming games."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}