"Herbert outperforms Burrow in just about every metric" - NFL fans left outraged after CBS releases top QB list

If you had the choice would you take Joe Burrow or Justin Herbert? CBS has made up their minds and they are going with the Los Angeles Chargers signal caller, Justin Herbert. That's if they stick with the AFC quarterback rankings that they have just released.

Nothing will spark an angrier response within the NFL community than a rankings list and this time has been no different. Fans have taken to social media to debate the pros and cons of each player and needless to say, a consensus has not been reached.

Some Twitter users took aim at Herbert's favourable treatment in the media, pointing out that he is consistently ranked in the upper echeloens of these lists, but is yet to make a postseason appearance:

Fans of the former Oregon Ducks quarterback were quick to point out that winning is a team effort:

Multiple fans expanded on that argument, stating that if Herbert had been quarterbacking the Cincinnati Bengals in Super Bowl LVI, then they would have overcome the Rams, whereas Burrow would have struggled with the Chargers:

This unsurprisingly sparked an angry response from supporters of the Bengals quarterback, who were quick to dismiss these claims as nonsense:

Chargers fans were insistent and even suggested that Burrow's playoff performance in general was poor and cost the Bengals:

Cincinnati Bengals vs. Los Angeles Chargers

Justin Herbert or Joe Burrow? What do the statistics tell us

You are unlikely to ever find common ground among NFL fans when it comes to debating the abilities of their favourite players, especially when the question being asked is who is better.

Statistics never provide a complete picture, but they are at least a starting point, so let's look at some figures from their first two seasons in the league, using data collected by PFF.

Both have similar PFF ratings, with Burrows slightly edging it 90.0 to 89.8. The Cincinnati quarterback also has the edge in passing grade, accuracy, completion rate and probably the most surprising, deep throw percentage. The Bengals signal-caller edges it in most of the important categories, though they are close and both are providing excellent returns for their teams.

What about the intangables? The qualities that can't be measured. Interestingly, two-thirds of NFL coaches, executives and scouts when asked chose the LSU product over Herbert. In fact, it was only scouts who stumped for Herbert, with every front-office executive and coach picking Burrow.

The reason? Leadership qualities. Burrow is seen as having demonstrated the ability to lead a team and carry them to victory when they might be second best on the field. His run to the Super Bowl last year was cited as direct proof of that.

Undoubtedly both are great quarterbacks and are the future of the NFL. Who would you choose?