As one of the most dynamic quarterback-wide receiver tandems this season, Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase will have an opportunity to flex in front of the entire world when their Cincinnati Bengals battle the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl 56 this Sunday. A win at SoFi Stadium would already cement them as the most successful QB-WR pairing to play together in both college and the NFL.
Burrow and Chase’s relationship goes back to their collegiate days at LSU, where they were teammates for two seasons in Baton Rouge, LA. After finding their footing 2018 season, both guys exploded during LSU’s national championship run in 2019 and stamped themselves as the best of their respective positions in the sport.
Burrow won the Heisman Trophy by producing one of the greatest individual seasons in college football history, throwing for 5,671 yards and a then-record 60 passing touchdowns. Roughly a third of that production could be attributed to Chase, who won the Biletnikoff Award for best receiver with 84 receptions for 1,780 receiving yards and 20 touchdowns. Keep in mind that Chase was able to this in the presence of teammate Justin Jefferson, who also could’ve easily won the Biletnikoff himself with the numbers he put up that season.
Burrow would eventually be selected by the Bengals with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft and Chase would end up opting out of what would’ve been his junior year at LSU that fall. When it came time for the Bengals to make their selection with the No. 5 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, many argued that they needed to provide their franchise QB with protection by taking Oregon offensive tackle Penei Sewell. Instead, they opted to reunite Burrow with his trusted weapon from LSU in Chase with the hopes of producing something similar in the pros.
The move was initially criticized when the rookie wide receiver experienced some issues with drops in the preseason. Those criticisms were quickly put to bed as the Burrow-Chase connection got rolling into the regular season. Catching 81 passes for 1,455 yard, and 13 touchdowns, Chase earned Second Team All-Pro honors and was named the NFL Rookie of the Year this season. And now he and Burrow, along with their fathers, will have the chance to light up yet another victory cigar if they can topple the Rams on Sunday.
Ja'Marr Chase and Joe Burrow's fathers celebrated the AFC Championship by smoking cigars pic.twitter.com/I3C9bq1NgV
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) January 31, 2022