Super Bowl 56 features unprecedented matchup between QB’s with losing records

Joe Burrow and Matthew Stafford face off in one of the most intriguing quarterback matchups in Super Bowl history.

Let’s be real, no one thought prior to the start of the 2021 NFL season that the Los Angeles Rams and Cincinnati Bengals would compete in Super Bowl 56. It happened, as the Rams boast one of the more loaded rosters in the NFL and the Bengals went on a magical playoff run by upsetting the likes of the Tennessee Titans and Kansas City Chiefs. Plenty of credit goes to the quarterbacks — Joe Burrow and Matthew Stafford, who compete in one of the most unique matchups in history.

According to ESPN Stats and Info, this is the first matchup in Super Bowl history where the quarterbacks both have losing records. Stafford holds a 86-95-1 record, while Burrow is 12-13-1.

Joe Burrow, Matthew Stafford compete in unprecedented Super Bowl matchup

Stafford’s record comes as he spent the majority of his career with the Detroit Lions, who boasted some pretty bad teams. Even so, Stafford did lead the Lions to the playoff three times in his 12 years with the team. Unfortunately, each trip was one-and-done for Stafford.

This offseason, Stafford was traded to the Rams in a blockbuster trade, with the expectation that the move would help lead the team back to the Super Bowl. Sure enough, that is what happened, as Stafford went 3-0 in the playoffs in his first year in Los Angeles. He looks to make it 4-0 with a win over the Bengals.

Burrow is just in his second season in the NFL, so he does have a losing record on a small sample size. After being drafted first-overall in 2020, Burrow went 2-7-1 in his rookie year. His rookie year ended after 10 games when he tore his ACL against the now-Washington Commanders.

In 2021, Burrow went 10-6 in the regular-season, thanks in part to his 4,611 passing yards and 34 touchdowns. The Bengals had not had a playoff victory in 31 years entering this postseason. Now, Burrow has brought Cincinnati three victories, with one more earning the franchise its first Lombardi Trophy.

The career win-loss records won’t matter for whichever quarterback stands at the podium wiht the trophy at Super Bowl 56.