Here's Why the "Joe Burrow Will be Back in the Super Bowl' Narrative Doesn’t Hold Up

After the Cincinnati Bengals were bested by the Los Angeles Rams in the Super Bowl last weekend, many predicted the Bengals and their young quarterback would soon be back in the big game. Even the oddsmakers at WynnBET Sportsbook think so and have the Bengals as the third favorite to win it all at +1200. While it is hard to bet against Burrow and the Bengals to re-peat, history is not on their side. 

In a tweet from Run Pure Sports, they point out that there is a long list of one-and-done quarterbacks after making their first run at the title. In fact, the last 16 QBs to lose their debut in the Super Bowl as a starter have never made it back. While the list is vast and contains names like Matt Ryan, Jimmy Garoppolo, and Jared Goff, all players still in the league, it also features guys such as Donovan McNabb, Steve McNair, and Drew Bledsoe. Three very capable quarterbacks and none of them won made it back to try again after losing their first Super Bowl. Just making it to the Super Bowl is hard, and there is a very real chance that he never does it again.

This brings me to Dolphins legend Dan Marino; someone that Burrow has received comparisons to a lot over the last week. The Dolphins made it to Super Bowl in what was Marino’s second year as quarterback. That team, much like the Bengals, was young, talented, and hungry. Yet, he never leads them back to the big game. Instead, he sat and watched for years as his peers battled it out in February such as Jim Kelly and John Elway. 

I’m not saying that Burrow is destined to go the way of Marino. But, I am saying that it wouldn’t be the first time that a young talented QB lost a Super Bowl and never made it back.