The Cincinnati Bengals are Super Bowl-bound and quarterback Joe Burrow is a huge reason as to why. In just his second year as the starting signal-caller of a team that won four games a year ago, Burrow has his guys in the final NFL game over the season.
Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers aren’t in the game nor are Patrick Mahomes or Josh Allen. It’s Burrow vs. Matthew Stafford of the Los Angeles Rams, just like we all expected, right?
With Burrow’s first Super Bowl appearance a week and a half away, let’s look back at the best and worst moments he had in the AFC title game.
Best from Joe Burrow in AFC Championship vs. Chiefs
There are a ton of plays to choose from here but I’m going with one of the many Houdini acts that Burrow pulled off when it looked like he was sure to be sacked by the Chiefs defense. Not only did Burrow do this once during one of the Bengals’ final drives, he did it twice. It looked like Chris Jones was surely going to bring him down but nope — Burrow scampered out of two potential sacks and got his team the first downs.
Joe Burrow again with Houdini act scrambles for #Bengals first down.. Chris JOnes had him twice on that play
— Richard Skinner (@Local12Skinny) January 30, 2022
Burrow with another third down scramble for #Bengals first down
— Richard Skinner (@Local12Skinny) January 30, 2022
The drive ended with an Evan McPherson 52-yard field goal that put the stripes up 24-21. It looked like they were going to win by that score but the Chiefs tied it up in the final seconds to send things to overtime. We all know how that ended though and it wasn’t with a certain Grim Reaper doing Grim Reaper-like things.
Worst from Joe Burrow in AFC Championship vs. Chiefs
There wasn’t a ton to really nitpick about when it came to Burrow’s performance on Sunday. He didn’t light up the scoreboard with just 250 yards through the air but those two Houdini acts to avoid pressure and keep the drive alive.
The worst from Burrow, however, was the one interception he threw in the game. While it didn’t lead to any points for the opponent, it was a bad pass from Burrow and should never have been thrown in the first place.
Again, it’s hard to be too angry about this one since A) the Bengals won the game and B) The interception didn’t lead to any Chiefs points. It did give them a small glimpse of momentum but as we witnessed, it didn’t help them on the scoreboard.
"Cincinnati Bengals: All-time passing leaders in franchise history"
Burrow now is the seventh quarterback to appear in a Super Bowl in just the second year of his career. The last second-year quarterback to do it was Russell Wilson, who won it with the Seahawks in that 2013 season. Let’s hope Burrow has the same fate when the Bengals take on the Rams in Super Bowl LVI.