What Could This Super Bowl Win Mean for Joe Burrow's Legacy?
By Matt De Saro
The championship aspirations of the Cincinnati Bengals and Los Angeles Rams are not the only two things on the line next weekend at Super Bowl XVI. The Bengals, as a franchise, have been beaten down and gutted for what feels like the entirety of their existence. They have never won a Super Bowl and hadn’t won a playoff game for decades before Joe Burrow donned the orange and black.
The former LSU star could become the first quarterback in NFL history to win a Super Bowl, National Championship, and Heisman Trophy. If he wins next Sunday, he would have accomplished all of that in the span of just three years. And he could do it all for a franchise that hasn’t been in the conversation for anything in the 30+ years I have been a football fan. I have always liked the Bengals, but that is because I never felt they were a threat to win a Super Bowl.
Joe Burrow was drafted to a team that went 2-14 before he arrived — the worst record in the NFL.
— Joe Pompliano (@JoePompliano) January 30, 2022
He tore his ACL during his rookie year & the Bengals only won 4 games.
Now just a year later, Burrow & the Bengals are going to the Super Bowl.
INSANE ? pic.twitter.com/1YXjeS3TyF
So, not only are we watching the emergence of a potential NFL Hall of Famer, but we might also be seeing an entire franchise getting turned around. The Bengals are one of a handful of franchises that were around before the merger to never win a Super Bowl. The other offenders include the Cleveland Browns, Detroit Lions, Atlanta Falcons, Los Angeles Chargers, Buffalo Bills, Minnesota Vikings, and the Tennessee Titans (Oilers). It would be a massive deal to the franchise and its fans if Burrow can lead this team off that list.
This could be the best year for Burrow and the Bengals to go all the way now that Tom Brady has officially announced his retirement. Brady is the GOAT, but that is only until the next best player in history steps up. Can Burrow capitalize on the stars aligning here and stake his claim as the next generational talent at the position? With Trevor Lawrence having a bad start in Jacksonville and Josh Allen struggling to win big games in Buffalo, Burrow could be the guy. The first step, however, is next Sunday in L.A.
A win would certainly make him the most popular man in Ohio for the next decade or so.