Cincinnati Bengals' road to Super Bowl 2022: Joe Burrow & Ja'Marr Chase's connection is the spark franchise desperately needed
One of the most prominent storylines leading up to Super Bowl 2022 has been the relationship between Joe Burrow and Ja'Marr Chase. The former LSU teammates are incredibly young and are responsible for turning around the fate of the long-middling Cincinnati Bengals franchise.
Burrow will be playing in just his 27th NFL game Sunday. Meanwhile, Chase will be playing in his 17th. Despite their youth, they've led a team that went 6-25-1 in their last two seasons to Super Bowl 2022 in their first season together.
Although this is their first season together in the NFL, this isn't their first season playing as teammates. Their chemistry from playing the 2018 and 2019 seasons at LSU is responsible for them making Super Bowl 2022.
Ja'Marr Chase 🤜🤛 Joe Burrow
The Cincinnati Bengals reunite the No. 5 pick with with his former LSU QB. #NFLDraft https://t.co/jbtbqI9rVK
Joe Burrow and Ja'Marr Chase's timeline leading Bengals to Super Bowl 2022
2019
Andy Dalton had flamed out before the 2019 season, and the Bengals had missed the postseason the past three seasons. 2019 was Dalton's worst year as a starter, making first-year head coach Zac Taylor's life challenging. Although Joe Mixon and Tyler Boyd were good players, the Bengals were directionless.
While that was going on in the NFL, Burrow (a fifth-year senior) was arguably playing the best season a college quarterback has ever had. In 2019, Burrow threw for a jaw-dropping 60 touchdowns and 5,671 yards.
His favorite target was none other than Chase, who was just a sophomore that year. Chase caught 20 of Burrow's 60 touchdowns for 1,780 yards. Their chemistry was electrifying and off the charts.
95.4 Passing GradeJoe Burrow targeting Ja'Marr Chase at LSU:
🚀 95.4 Passing Grade
🚀 16 Deep 20+ Yard TDs
🚀 85 First Down Completions
https://t.co/qfKnlwes7K
2020
Burrow was the slam dunk number one overall pick for the Bengals in the 2020 NFL draft after his Heisman Trophy campaign. Burrow is an Ohio native with a blue-collar mentality, and the city immediately embraced him.
Burrow had a rookie season that gave Bengals fans hope for brighter days ahead. He showed poise and mental capabilities beyond his years. Unfortunately, a torn ACL suffered after ten games derailed his promising freshman season in the NFL.
As the COVID-19 pandemic worsened, Chase opted out of the 2020 college football season.
2021
In the 2021 draft, the Bengals chose Chase over offensive tackle Peneii Sewell. That was a controversial selection at the time, as the Bengals' offensive line was a larger area of concern.
Chase proved to be the right selection of the two. He won Offensive Rookie of the Year in a sensational season. The 21-year-old finished with an astonishing 1,455 yards and 13 touchdowns. His chemistry with Burrow was on full display in every game.
.@Coach_EdOrgeron joined #NFLCountdown to talk about the chemistry between Ja'Marr Chase and Joe Burrow at LSU.
"[They had] the will to be great. ... When they came here, those guys did things that I've never seen" https://t.co/9JY5ahNXwL
Burrow and Chase were paired with Tee Higgins and Mixon in one of the NFL's most versatile and dynamic offenses. That, along with a reworked defense in free agency during the 2021 offseason, was the catalyst for the Bengals appearing in Super Bowl 2022.
2022
Now, the Bengals have a chance to rewrite their franchise's history with a victory in Super Bowl 2022. The Bengals have a chance to be talked about as titans in the AFC for years to come, like the Kansas City Chiefs, if they finish the job.