Joe Burrow's Superstar Status Cemented in Historic AFC Championship Comeback

Three of the four teams in the AFC North were talked about as potential playoff teams when the season began. The Baltimore Ravens had a great defense. On paper, the Cleveland Browns had talent on both sides of the ball and enough hype to float a balloon into the ionosphere. There were people who thought that the Pittsburgh Steelers could ride their defense to a playoff run and get one more season out of Ben Roethlisberger.

There will be a team from the AFC North in the Super Bowl. The Steelers were defeated in the Wild Card Round. The Ravens were ravaged by injuries. Or the team that was called the Browns. After shocking the two-time defending conference champion Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead in overtime, the Cincinnati Bengals are in their first Super Bowl since 1988.

The nation is celebrating for one reason and one reason only, because the Bengals have one thing that no other team in the league does.

There is a Joe Burrow in the Cincinnati Bengals. Sunday's historic comeback was something else, and if the 2021 season was Burrow's coming out party, it was. It was an ascent to superstardom.

Two years ago, the football team was destroyed by a dumpster fire. The possession of the first pick in 2020 gave Cincinnati the rights to Burrow, who was coming off arguably the best season a collegiate quarterback has ever had. There were bumps in the road and flashes of promise in equal measure before and after the knee injury that ended his freshman year. The year ended with a 4-11-1 record and modest expectations.

It didn't take long to see that the Bengal were going to exceed expectations. In a win over the Ravens, Burrow threw for 416 yards and three scores. He threw for 525 yards and four scores against the Ravens in Week 16. He threw for when he threw for four scores against the same Kansas City Chiefs the next week the Cincinnati AFC North title was won. New franchise records for passing yards and touchdown were set by Burrow.

The first postseason victory for the franchise since before he was born was the Wild Card Round win over the Raiders. The first road playoff win in the history of the Cincinnati Reds was marked by the upset of the top-seeded TennesseeTitans.

Before Sunday's game, Burrow made it clear that he had his sights set higher.

I work really hard for these moments and if I had never gotten to a position, I would be playing in the Super Bowl. I work so hard so I can play well.

The prevailing wisdom was that the run would end on Sunday in Kansas City, for all the accomplishments of the Bengals this season. The road team was seven-point favorites. The writer will admit that he picked the Chiefs to win. The Kansas City Chiefs were too good on the offensive side of the ball for all the other teams. Too experienced.

For a while, it appeared that was what was going to happen. The Chiefs scored on their first three possessions, while the Bengals struggled to score. At the half, Kansas City would have been behind by at least two scores if they had not fumbled the goal line.

They didn't panic. The defense allowed three points in the second half. The game was won by Burrow, who threw for 250 yards and two touchdown passes. After intercepting Patrick Mahomes and then scoring on a Evan McPherson field goal, the Bengals had slayed the AFC's Goliath to reach the franchise's third Super Bowl.

It was the largest comeback in conference championship game history. It is the first time in league history that a top pick has led his team to a Super Bowl.

While speaking with CBS sideline reporter Tracy Wolfson after the game, Burrow was quick to credit the team around him.

The defense was great in the second half. The defense made plays in the second half. We made plays when we had to. The offensive line played well all day. We started to run the ball at the end. A big win for us.

He has a point. Joe Mixon was third in the league in rushing. Ja'Marr Chase, a teammate of Burrow's at LSU, shattered the NFL's rookies receiving record this year with 1,455 yards. The free agent acquisition has a career-high 14 sacks and 2.5 in the playoffs. He was a great kicker as a freshman. There are five of them on the offensive line.

The team is good. Five years in a row, a good Cincinnati team made the playoffs with Andy Dalton under center. Over the course of the season, Burrow has three more wins than the man.

A quarterback who rises to the occasion is what the Cincinnati Bengals have. They are in the Super Bowl because they have a quarterback who looks at a 21-3 deficit and says, "Time to get to work".

It was a thing. It tasted just like you would expect.

The Cincinnati Bengals are in the Super Bowl because they have a young star at their most important position.

They may win the Super Bowl with Joe Burrow under center.

Long live Joe Brrrrrow. The young signal-caller is the frostiest.