The underdog Cincinnati Bengals wouldn't have upset the hometown favorite Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC championship game last Sunday without a little magic from Joe Burrow's legs. The second-year quarterback was pressured 16 times in the pocket but sacked only once, and of the Bengals' eight third-down conversions, Burrow scrambled to move the chains four times.
Cincinnati's offensive line will once again be put to the test in Super Bowl 56, against a stout Los Angeles Rams defensive front. And if the Bengals want to hoist a Lombardi Trophy for the first time in league history, former NFL player and current podcast host Ross Tucker believes that Burrow needs to utilize his scrambling abilities.
"If you remember, he took three sacks, at least, against the Titans that were really on Burrow. Just the type of sacks you can't take," Tucker told the Reiter Than You show on Thursday. "Now, fast forward to the Chiefs game, where he actually avoided about three sacks... Out of the eight third-down conversions, four of them were Burrow scrambling, picking up the first down with his legs.
"He's going to have to do more of that against the Rams. If you think about it, that's like a six or seven sack swing. You have three he took that he shouldn't have against the Titans that were bad sacks. And then against the Chiefs, he had at least three times where it looked like he would get sacked and got out of it... He's going to have to do something like that against the Rams. Find a way to get out of harms way, multiple times."
Burrow's toughness in the pocket can't be ignored. In the Bengals' divisional round win against Tennessee, he was sacked nine times, which tied a league playoff record. But, he managed to throw for 348 yards, and helped his team advance to the AFC championship. According to Stathead, Burrow's passing yardage was the fourth-most by a quarterback sacked nine times in a game.
Against the Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium, the Bengals overcame an 18-point deficit, which is tied for the second-largest road comeback victory in league postseason history. During the final 29 minutes of play, Burrow orchestrated four scoring drives, and overall, he completed 23 of 38 passes for 250 yards with two touchdowns and one interception.
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 NFL conversation between Tucker and Reiter can be accessed in the audio player above.
You can follow the Reiter Than You show on Twitter @sportsreiter and @CBSSportsRadio, and Tom Hanslin @TomHanslin.