Bengals Midseason Awards: More Hardware for Joe Burrow
The Cincinnati Bengals are 2-5-1 midway through the first season of the Joe Burrow era. It's been a roller coaster ride over the first eight weeks, but they are showing signs of growth. With the bye week smack dab in the middle of the year, it's time to hand out a few awards.
Offensive MVP: Joe Burrow
This was a no-brainer. No one has had an impact on this offense like the rookie signal-caller. Burrow has jumped in from day one to galvanize this team and bring a swagger to the locker room.
Burrow is producing one of the greatest rookie seasons ever from a quarterback. He is third in the NFL with 2,272 passing yards heading into the bye week, putting him on pace to beat Andrew Luck's rookie record.
The offense has started to stretch the field recently, which was a problem earlier in the season. They're pushing the ball downfield without turning it over.
Burrow leads the league in attempts by 14 passes, yet his interception rate (1.5%) is the eighth-best among all quarterbacks. On top of it all, Pro Football Focus has him as the highest-graded passer (77.2) in the AFC North and 12th-best overall through eight games.
"I think I've been playing pretty well since that Baltimore game," Burrow said on Wednesday. "Obviously, there's a lot of room to improve I'm nowhere near where I can be or need to be but I think I've been off to a pretty good start."
There's not enough praise fans can heap on Burrow and an offense that's notched 30-plus points in four of their past five games. Most rookies collapse under the pressure of making reads and dealing with a rush. Burrow hasn't cracked, putting the Bengals in a position to make a run over the back half of the season.
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Defensive MVP: Jessie Bates III
Burrow wasn't the only special thing the Bengals have uncovered in recent months. The best safety in football may reside in the Queen City.
Jessie Bates III has been all that and more this season. He's tied for first among safeties in passes defended (9) and interceptions (2), while allowing just 86 yards on 20 targets. PFF has taken notice as Bates' 90.1 overall grade leads all safeties by more than ten grading points.
Analysts lauded Bates for his ball skills coming out of college. Those skills have translated and improved in the NFL. He's thriving in his second year in Lou Anarumo's scheme.
The Bengals have forced an opening-drive turnover in five of their past six games. Bates' versatility has been a big part of that, allowing the coaching staff to play a little looser with their calls knowing he's a threat on the back end.
Minkah Fitzpatrick, Tyrann Mathieu and Jamal Adams better make some room for Bates in the elite safety category. The former Demon Deacon has been great eight games into 2020 and should be prowling the jungle for years to come.
Coach of the Year: Bob Bicknell
Burrow wouldn't be enjoying this much success without a strong group of pass catchers. Bob Bicknell has delivered that in his third-year as the Bengals' wide receivers coach.
Tyler Boyd posted 1,028 yards in 2018 after Bicknell was brought over from Baylor. Boyd had combined for 828 yards over his first two years before he arrived. The 13-year NFL coaching veteran is also showing the magic touch with two other young wideouts.
Tee Higgins has been one of the top rookie receivers in 2020. He looks like a younger A.J. Green and is producing like him too. The two are on a collision course for similar rookie stats, with Higgins taking over deep threat duties. He leads the team with 14.8 yards-per-catch.
Ironically, Auden Tate slots right behind Higgins' on the Bengal's efficiency leaderboard (11 YPC). The high-point hero showed off his athleticism all afternoon against the Titans en route to a career-high seven catches for 65 yards. Fans can expect Tate's role to open up over the final eight weeks as he wrangles more control of the fourth receiver spot.
Outside of John Ross III being a zero in 2020, Bicknell has maximized every ounce of development from these young receivers. Burrow is the fuel that will ultimately take these weapons over the top, but Bicknell is doing a fine job getting them to that edge.
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