Cincinnati Bengals fans across the nation are counting their lucky stars as their young quarterback has turned their franchise around in just two seasons. Joe Burrow has been the topic of much discussion surrounding young quarterbacks because he has so much potential and has already accomplished so much.
Burrow was a four-star recruit coming out of Athens High School, but he seemed to be locked in on one university despite several offers laying on the table. His only official visit was to the school he’d attempt to play for, Ohio State University.
Burrow’s time at Ohio State was not at all what he was initially expecting. Upon his arrival, head coach Urban Meyer began to dislike Burrow and lost hope in his ability to play quarterback for Ohio State. Burrow redshirted his freshman year, but in the years following he sat on the bench and waited for an opportunity. Burrow only played in a total of 10 games during his time at Ohio State, where he logged only 39 pass attempts.
During his waiting game, Burrow hit the books and earned his bachelors in consumer and family financial services. The student-athlete life was fully embraced by Burrow as he earned his bachelor’s in three years, a year earlier than the usual four years. After realizing he was not going to get the starting job in Columbus, he packed his bags and headed down south to Baton Rouge.
Burrow has been crowned the greatest to ever play at LSU by football fans all over the country. In 2018 Burrow played his first season with LSU, where he led the team to a No. 6 ranking in the AP top-25 poll, a 10-3 record and earned SEC Offensive Player of the Week honors two times in three weeks.
However, Burrow leaves behind in his legacy at LSU a perfect 2019 season that saw the Tigers take down seven top-10 teams. The 2019 National Championship game highlighted Burrow’s ability to be resilient, as well as his ability to lead a team to the promised land. Burrow strung together several impressive offensive performances which led to the Heisman trophy returning to Baton Rouge for the first time in 60 years.
Burrow recorded 5,671 passing yards, 60 passing touchdowns and five rushing touchdowns, which led to LSU averaging a whopping 48 points per game. LSU headed into the College Football Playoffs as the No. 1 seed and went on to crush Oklahoma with a 63-28 victory. The Tigers were set to face the Clemson Tigers, and LSU made a short trip to New Orleans for the 2019 National Championship Game.
The LSU Tigers returned home from their trip with their fourth national championship trophy, and the title “greatest college football team.”
Following Burrow’s stellar 2019 performance he declared for the 2020 NFL Draft, where he was selected by the Cincinnati Bengals with the first overall pick. Burrow’s career started out smoothly but was halted early due to a lack of protection from his offensive line. Through 10 games played during his rookie year, Burrow was sacked 32 times.
After 10 weeks of bruising hits, his body decided enough was enough, and he was sidelined for the rest of the season after suffering a torn ACL in his left knee.
Going into his second year, the Bengals’ front office paired Burrow with his favorite target from LSU, Jamarr Chase. The duo gave defenses across the NFL nightmares as Burrow and Chase connected for 81 receptions, 1,455 receiving yards and 13 receiving touchdowns, all which are categories Chase led his team in.
Following a horrible 2-7-1 2020 season record before Burrow suffered a season-ending injury, Burrow and Chase willed their team to a much improved 10-6 record. The Bengals secured the number 4 seed in their first postseason appearance since 2016.
Burrow was a freshman in college the last time the Bengals were in the post season, but he was not even born the last time they won a playoff game as he helped them break a 31-year playoff win drought. Burrow and Chase caught fire in the post season as they won their first three games against the Raiders, Titans and Chiefs.
Burrow shocked the world as in his first full year he led his Bengals to their third Super Bowl appearance. The number four seed in the AFC met the number four seed in the NFC, the Los Angeles Rams. Despite being the most sacked quarterback, Burrow still had a lot of gas left in his tank — so much so that he gave the Rams a fight to the very end.Going into the 2022 season, Burrow and his squad are looking to strengthen their chances at another Super Bowl run.
The Bengals desperately need to add to their depleted offensive line because Burrow will not stay healthy getting hit as often as he does. Also, another position group the Bengals are monitoring is their defensive back group.
Free agent JC Jackson has drawn interest from the Bengals and could contribute greatly to a 2022 post season run. Another defensive back the Bengals will focus on is already one of their own, Jessie Bates III. Keeping Bates should be a top priority for the team as he showed his worth throughout the post season.
Burrow has shown flashes of greatness early in his career, but he still has not tapped into his full potential yet. As the Bengals learn to protect Burrow and as he gains experience, the team will continue to improve. Going forward, Joe Burrow will be a name to keep tabs on as he will keep shocking the world with his uncanny ability.
