In only his second professional football season, Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow has already established himself as a superstar in the league. On Sunday, he led an 18 point comeback against the Kansas City Chiefs and Patrick Mahomes, setting the stage for an impromptu overtime win, leading the Bengals to a Super Bowl appearance in two weeks from now.
Burrow is no stranger to success, having won the Heisman Trophy, as well as a National Championship two years ago. In two weeks from now, he will have the chance to complete the triple crown and become the first-ever quarterback to win the Heisman, a National Championship, and a Super Bowl.
When watching Burrow play, it’s hard not to make comparisons to other great quarterbacks. I have a couple specifically in mind; Tom Brady, Ben Roethlisberger, and Russel Wilson. What do these three quarterbacks have in common? They all won SuperBowls within their first two seasons in the NFL. Burrow can join the club next Sunday if he pulls out a win against the Los Angeles Rams.
The 25-year-old played phenomenally on Sunday against the Chiefs, throwing for 250 yards and two touchdowns. There was one play that was especially thrilling when Burrow looked like he was going to be sacked, he evades the sack then heads for a run, almost gets tackled once again but evades that one as well, and rushes for the first down. Watching that play I finally realized what this quarterback was made of.
Burrow can also become only the third “Joe” (quarterback I should say) to win a National Championship and a Super Bowl. The other two quarterbacks were Joe Montana and Joe Namath. Burrow also becomes the first LSU-bred quarterback to start in the Super Bowl since 1982.
With Ben Roethlisberger retiring this past week, and with multiple sources stating that it seems Tom Brady is on the verge of retiring, the torch is being passed onto the younger generations of quarterbacks in the league. Burrow is the frontrunner to be the face of the league, and with a Super Bowl in two weeks, he can solidify that.
I’m not taking anything away from Patrick Mahomes, but Burrow carries himself with a certain swagger, something we saw Joe Namath have back in his playing days. The man is just cold as ice and is destined to be the new face of the league.
This will be one of the most entertaining Super Bowls in recent memory, as we have two outstanding quarterbacks going head to head to capture their first-ever Superbowls. As Burrow and Stafford face-off, we will also be able to see the battle of the wide-receivers (Cooper Kupp, Odell Beckham Jr., Jamarr Chase, Tee Higgins). Just the sheer offensive arsenals being fielded will make this one of the greatest games of all time. “Til next time!