Paul Finebaum shares the moment he knew Joe Burrow was an NFL-caliber quarterback
As has been the case since he erupted onto the scene in LSU’s 2019 national championship run, when the pressure mounted, Joe Burrow has only gotten better.
Burrow, now in his second season with the Cincinnati Bengals (but first full season, as he suffered a season-ending injury 10 games into his rookie season in 2020), has led the franchise from the depths of NFL mediocrity to AFC Championship contenders in just two years. This weekend, the Bengals will face the heavy AFC favorite Kansas City Chiefs with a berth to the Super Bowl on the line — and none of this would be possible without Burrow, who has thrown for 4,611 yards, 34 touchdowns and 14 interceptions this season, all while holding a 70.4 completion rate.
The former first-overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft seems to have only gotten better with time. But ESPN college football analyst Paul Finebaum has long believed in Burrow. In a recent appearance on SportsCenter, Finebaum explained when he first knew Burrow was the real-deal, NFL-caliber quarterback.
“One (moment that stood out) was the previous year (one year before the national title at LSU),” Finebaum said to Matt Barrie. “Joe Burrow’s first year starting at LSU, they went to Auburn, and he led the LSU Tigers to a win over Auburn, which was really dramatic because no one expected it. He lit up for I think about 300 yards if I remember correctly. It was at Jordan-Hare Stadium, and after that, a lot of people were thinking, ‘Woah, this guy might be a really good quarterback.’ But LSU was not expected to be that great that year. It was really the next year when he started to turn all of our heads spinning.”
Sure enough, that next season ended with a historic campaign. The LSU Tigers went 15-0, sweeping the regular season, winning the SEC Championship and cruising their way to the national championship. Burrow, in the process, was named the Heisman Trophy winner, while also going first-overall in the draft.
Now, Burrow has the chance to enter unchartered territory: should the Cincinnati Bengals find a way to become longshot Super Bowl winners, he’ll be one of just four players to win the Heisman Trophy, a national championship and a Super Bowl, joining Tony Dorsett, Marcus Allen and Charles Woodson.
Joe Burrow calls out underdog narrative following playoff win
Joe Burrow doesn’t want to hear about being an underdog anymore. It might be the first playoffs for the Bengals quarterback, but he is quickly proving he belongs.
The second-year player out of LSU has certainly gained respect after two wins against Las Vegas and Tennessee to start his postseason career. Following a 19-16 victory against the Titans on Saturday, the quarterback had a message heading into the AFC Championship.
“I’m tired of the underdog narrative,” Burrow said. “We are a really, really good team. We are here to make noise. We are a really good team with good players and coaches.”
The Bengals’ motto this has been “Why Not Us,” but it seems Burrow is ready to retire that. Based on how his team has been playing lately, it’s hard to blame him.
Burrow finished Saturday’s victory 28-of-37 passing for 348 yards and an interception. The Bengals’ lone touchdown of the day game on a 16-yard run from tailback Joe Mixon. Instead, it was kicker Evan McPherson who stole the show offensively. The rookie finished a perfect 4-for-4 on his field goal attempts, including the 52-yard game-winner as time expired.
It’s not difficult to see why Cincinnati has received the “underdog” label from fans and the media. Before last week, the team hadn’t won a playoff game in more than 30 years. But with Burrow as its cornerstone, the franchise is headed in a new direction.
Not only was this the first playoff win in 30 years, but it was the first time Cincinnati had even made the postseason since 2015. The Bengals won a tight AFC North division, with a 10-7 record.
When Joe Burrow enters the AFC Championship, he will undoubtedly be the underdog once again against the Chiefs.
On3’s Chandler Vessels contributed to this report.