Joe Burrow isn't accustomed to losing playoff games. As the star quarterback for LSU in 2019, he won a pair of College Football Playoff matchups to secure the national title. And so far this year, he's led the Cincinnati Bengals to three postseason wins, and their first Super Bowl appearance since 1988.
Despite his young age -- he just turned 25 in December -- Burrow has already developed the essential traits of a franchise leader. By nature or design, he's naturally cool at the podium and confident on the field. If the Bengals outlast the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl 56, Burrow will become the first signal-caller in NFL history to win the Heisman Trophy, a college national title, and a Lombardi Trophy.
"To doubt him would be fool's gold now, because he's the first quarterback to play in a Super Bowl who's been sacked the most during the regular season," former ESPN analyst Mike Golic told the JR SportBrief show on Wednesday. "He was sacked 51 times, 12 more in the playoffs -- including nine against Tennessee -- and they win. They find a way to win... The biggest mismatch, on paper, is the Bengals' offensive line and the Rams' defensive line..."
The Bengals' journey to the Super Bowl wouldn't have been possible without Burrow's mettle. In their divisional-round win over Tennessee, he was sacked a whopping nine times -- which tied an NFL playoff record -- and still found a way to throw for 348 yards. After the game, Burrow told reporters that he was tired of the team's underdog narrative.
Cincinnati also overcame an 18-point deficit in the AFC championship to upset the Kansas City Chiefs on Jan. 30 at Arrowhead Stadium. Burrow orchestrated four scoring drives in the final 29 minutes of play, and finished with 250 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception. The Bengals' offensive line will be put to the test against the Rams, as the unit allowed 16 total pressures on Burrow two weeks ago. However, he was sacked only once.
Super Bowl 56 between Cincinnati and Los Angeles will take place on Feb. 13 at SoFi Stadium, with kickoff scheduled for 6:30 ET. According to projections from FiveThirtyEight, the Bengals currently have a 32-percent chance to win. Before the regular season, they were given less than a 1-percent chance.
The entire Super Bowl conversation between Golic and JR can be accessed in the audio player above.
You can follow the JR SportBrief show on Twitter @JRSportBrief and Tom Hanslin @TomHanslin.