In a season full of possible fairytale endings, Joe Burrow is close to stealing the show. After lurking in the league’s basement, Burrow has led the Cincinnati Bengals to Super Bowl 56 against the odds. Before the game, most online sportsbooks had the Bengals as +800 underdogs to beat the Chiefs in the AFC Championship game. 

The star quarterback was, as he has been throughout the last six months, unfazed by the oddsmakers’ predictions. His effectiveness lies in his ability to produce, no matter the conditions. Despite frequent poor play-calls, a lack of protection, and a defense that dedicates most of its resources to receiver Ja’Marr Chase, Burrow keeps it moving.  

Time and again, the 25-year-old has avoided pressure and extended plays and drives to gift his team point-scoring chances. Although he’s not a supreme athlete, his clever movement has been the key to the Bengals’ resurrection in the last six months.

As news circulated that Tom Brady was thinking of retiring (with NFL sportsbooks even offering odds on it), Burrow stepped up to the plate against Kansas City to herald in the changing of the guard. Brady is seen by many as the heir to his hero Joe Montana. Now it seems the NFL has found an heir to ‘Tom Terrific’. Burrow has shown that he can raise his game in the biggest moments and keep a cool head under pressure to transform the Cincinnati Bengals franchise. Sound familiar? 

Also, as only two quarterbacks have won the FBS National Championship and a Super Bowl title – Montana and Joe Namath – Burrow even has a chance to do something Brady couldn’t on February 14.

Another Underdog Win for The Bengals

Most Cincinnati fans will remember last Sunday’s AFC Championship game for Burrow’s incredible performance. Kansas City fans, however, will see it as a missed opportunity. Throughout the first half, the Chiefs looked unstoppable. Mahomes was living up to the hype, the run-game was in full flow, and their defense contained Burrow, Chase, and Joe Mixon by cutting the supply line from the quarterback to receiver with bodies at the line of scrimmage.

Yet, the game turned on its head. A poor fourth-down call from the Chiefs’ coaching staff made them go for a touchdown instead of a field goal that would have increased their half-time lead from 11 to 14 points. 

Like in their Week 17 win against the Chiefs, the Bengals adjusted their defense in the second half to lure the Chiefs into running the ball. Once again, Patrick Mahomes opted to pass short, which slowed down proceedings. Cincinnati then eased off the pressure to make Mahomes hold onto the ball. Consequently, the Chiefs’ offense deteriorated into a freelancing mess – Mahomes completed just nine of 19 passes for 55 yards and failed to throw even one touchdown in the second half. 

This spell zapped the Kansas City quarterback’s confidence. He became tentative in the pocket, slow in making decisions, and wandered into pressure. Before this matchup, he had only tossed one interception in a playoff game. In this game, he threw two: one to set up Burrow and the Cincy offense in scoring range to change the tide of the game; one in overtime to gift Cincinnatti a shot to walk off. Mahomes’ sloppy display let Burrow use his great movement to extend plays. The QB got four first downs on four rushing attempts to help the Bengals to a 27-24 victory over the pregame Super Bowl favorites.  

Legendary Status 

It’s only taken 21 months for the Ohioan native to win the hearts of Bengals fans. His performances on the field have impressed the older fan base, and his flashy pre-game outfits have wooed younger fans hungry for a player with personality.

Before the win on Sunday, Burrow built upon his growing legend status when speaking to the media: “I’m tired of the underdog narrative. We’ve got good players, good coaches.” 

Since joining, the NFL’s new ‘Mr. Cool’ has worked his magic to take what was recently the worst team in the league to the biggest game in football. All that stands in the way of a fairytale ending for Cincinatti is Matthew Stafford’s LA Rams – who’ll be playing at home. Easy, it won’t be. But with Burrow in the team, some Bengals fans will already be making plans for the victory boat parade.