Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow has struggled to open up the season due to a calf injury that he’s been dealing with since training camp and reaggravated in the regular season, but those struggles haven’t stopped the comparisons to all-time greats.
San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan compared Burrow to Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback John Elway.
“One of the best, that’s why he went first in the draft,” Shanahan told Greg Papa on ’49ers Game Plan’. “It’s his throwing with his size, too. He’s a guy who can sit in there, hold on to the ball for a while and really let plays develop, get the ball downfield with no room, and he’s got the best receivers for that… You can stop him a couple drives in a row, then it’s just explosives after that. Reminds me of Elway in that manner.”
It’s a very good comparison from a good head coach before the two teams match up Sunday at 4:25, and Burrow will be looking to channel the play that earned him the comparison to Elway to beat one of the better teams in the league in the 49ers.