Climb The Ranks: Joe Burrow Continues To Ascend

Just over 21 months after being taken with the number one overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, Joe Burrow is leading the Cincinnati Bengals to their first Super Bowl appearance in 33 years. Other accomplishments the quarterback delivered this season include the Bengals’ first playoff appearance and AFC North division title in six years, respectively. And while this was Burrow’s second NFL season, it was the first full one that he completed. He only managed to play 10 games as a rookie before tearing his ACL and MCL in his left knee, along with suffering other damage to his PCL and meniscus.

The Bengals and Burrow are continuing to ascend. So much so, that there appears to be no limit to what they can accomplish. Cincinnati can win games in multiple ways. These young tigers are comfortable and equally dangerous, no matter what situation they are dealt with. The main reason as to why? It all starts with the quarterback himself.

From a physical, mental and emotional level, Burrow is quickly rising among the NFL’s quarterback rankings. His future ceiling appears to be limitless. With some wins against high profile teams and star quarterbacks already in the bag, Joe Burrow is already built for the moment of appearing in his first Super Bowl.

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Franchise Savior

In the time since the Bengals’ last Super Bowl appearance, the team had invested in a couple of quarterbacks at a premium spot. The two that were most notable in the 2000s were Carson Palmer and Andy Dalton. Each of them reached different levels of success. Palmer roared out to a hot start to open his career, tossing 104 touchdown passes in his first four seasons. This included a 32 touchdown pass season during his second year as the starter in 2005, his highest mark during that Bengals tenure. Meanwhile, Dalton led the Bengals to a 40-23-1 record during his first four NFL seasons, making the playoffs in all four years.

While those two were admirable competitors for Cincinnati, they were each missing something that Burrow was known for, well before he even took a snap in a Bengals uniform. He has the it factor. There is certainly more substance to Burrow’s game at a young age, than there ever was with either Palmer or Dalton. He simply has the complete package that teams are longing for when searching for franchise quarterbacks.

Wise Beyond His Years

As mentioned above, Burrow is already among the NFL’s best when it comes to a mental and emotional level. He leads the team with control and poise. No moment or opponent is too big for him, as we have found out during his first ever playoff run. Managing the Bengals through different high or low points of a game is something he has done multiple times already. That calmness and magnetic personality is a rare item that helps teammates stay focused, while also motivating them to perform at their best.

Efficiency Is Key

From a physical perspective, there are many things that Burrow does at a near perfect rate. His accuracy may be the trait that puts him over the top. No matter the situation, who the opposing defenders are, or the area of the field to which Cincinnati is at, Burrow places the ball in the right spot seemingly every single time. His touch never appears to go away. You rarely see Bengals pass catchers needing to break stride or harshly adjust to make a catch when this quarterback is distributing the football.

Elsewhere, Burrow makes up for a lack of pure arm strength with being efficient. His mechanics are sharp from head to toe. Burrow’s anticipation and increased speed on his release result in defenders waiting back on their heels. There will not be many that describe this player as a pure rhythm passer. But rarely, is Burrow ever out of sync with his footwork and timing. He is versatile in this area, however. Burrow recognizes pressure and hot reads so quickly. The amount of steps in his dropback will adjust, depending on what he is seeing pre-snap. It is subtle, just like his navigation in the pocket, but important for this Bengals offense to be successful.

How Do You Stop Him?

What makes Burrow so different, compared to other young NFL quarterbacks? In addition to the aforementioned traits, there is not one singular deficiency that opposing teams have picked up on yet. Teams know what they need to do when attempting to slow down other young NFL quarterbacks. For example, the more throwing you make Lamar Jackson have to do, the greater the variance of the Baltimore Ravens offense. If you take away Josh Allen’s running ability, the decision making becomes questionable when things are sped up for him and the Buffalo Bills offense. Furthermore, the overaggressive nature of passers like Justin Herbert, Patrick Mahomes, Kyler Murray and others can be just as costly, as it can be effective for those passers with ample arm strength.

Not only is Burrow always making the correct decision, but he is also able to adjust depending on the situation. Do the Bengals need to score quickly with tempo and completions deep down the field? Burrow has no problem with that. Will he be willing to take what the defense is giving him underneath, even on third and medium or third and long? Burrow has proven that winning underneath is not hard for him to do. Finally, this quarterback has quietly been improving on plays where he needs to extend and perform out of structure. We just do not see it that often, because of his cerebral presence in the pocket.

Rising Up The Ranks

Just like he did in 2019 at LSU, Joe Burrow is uplifting the Cincinnati Bengals to unprecedented heights. There is a special demeanor to which this quarterback operates with. More importantly, that is just natural to him.

While other young quarterbacks have gone back and forth between highs and lows, Burrow has continued to build and ascend higher as time passes by. He has yet to make many crippling decisions for his team. He has not yet failed to show up for the Bengals under any circumstance. Is there anything that Burrow cannot do for Cincinnati? Everyone will get that answer not just in Super Bowl LVI, but for many years to come.

Be on the lookout for more FPC Super Bowl articles. For more great sports and NFL content, stay tuned to Full Press Coverage.

– Braden Holecek is the Kansas City Chiefs managing editor for Full Press Coverage. He covers the NFL. Like and follow on Follow @ebearcat9//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js Follow @FPC_Chiefs//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js and Facebook.