Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow was sacked seven times against the Los Angeles Rams, but the hardest hit of the game? Losing Super Bowl LVI.
Nothing can soften the pain. Compared to his post-game swagger after beating Patrick Mahomes in the AFC Championship, Burrow dragged his feet out of the Bengals locker room after Sunday’s loss. He dressed the part of a champion, but he and the city of Cincinnati felt the weight of this loss.
Burrow threw for 263 yards and one touchdowns and played a pick-free game, compared to the two interceptions thrown by rival Matthew Stafford.
But whereas Stafford only got sacked twice, Burrow hit the ground a whopping seven times, the most memorable being the sack that ended the game and won the Rams their second Super Bowl title in franchise history.
In the post-game presser, Burrow took full responsibility of his average performance, in spite of all the sacks:
Joe Burrow: “Disappointed in my performance. Thought I could have played better.”
— Charlie Goldsmith (@CharlieG__) February 14, 2022
Bengals QB Joe Burrow said losing the state title game as a senior was the worst day of his life. Said losing today feels the same. pic.twitter.com/cK3pCnxQlC
— Ben Baby (@Ben_Baby) February 14, 2022
Cincinnati’s golden boy can only watch his fairytale ending go up in smoke — he beat some of the league’s best quarterbacks to reach the championship, but the Bengals’ offensive line proved far too inferior for the national stage.
Cincinnati Bengals’ Joe Burrow laments heartbreaking Super Bowl LVI defeat
Not all of the blame goes to the O-line, though. Tyler Boyd, who has never dropped a pass in the 2021 season, recorded his first drop after failing to convert an important down. Ja’Marr Chase and Burrow had one crucial miscommunication late in the game. Zac Taylor made questionable calls throughout the game.
In the end, not even a breathtaking halftime show could lead the Bengals to victory. Burrow had a minute and 25 seconds to tie the game up in the fourth quarter, injured knee and all, but the Rams defense was just too much to handle.
Joe Burrow was pressured on 43% of dropbacks
— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) February 14, 2022
He averaged just 6.3 air yards per attempt
what everyone expected to be a major factor was a major factor
Rams D-Line vs Bengals O-line
Tough thing about Joe Burrow and the Bengals not winning.. you have to go through Mahomes and Josh Allen every year. And that’s not including Lamar Jackson, Justin Herbert when he makes it.. Mac Jones and the Patriots will be tough. Big missed opportunity for Bengals.
— CROCK-MAN⚡️ (@eric_crocker) February 14, 2022
Burrow was sacked 19 times in total in the playoffs, and heading into this offseason, two things must be changed: one, improve the offensive line. Two, in caps lock, IMPROVE THE OFFENSIVE LINE.
There’s a reason every single one of his Bengals teammates calls him the “toughest” player they’ve ever met. But Burrow’s career could’ve ended for the second time after suffering a knee injury on a particularly hard-hitting sack.
In the press conference, Burrow said he would get his knee checked in Cincinnati, and that coming out of the game at the time was never an option. The fact that he limped to the podium to speak to reporters doesn’t bode good news, though.
They call him Joe Franchise, but he can’t be a franchise quarterback on one leg. As much as we hope to see Burrow back in the Super Bowl next season, he’s going to need a lot more reinforcements.