Joe Burrow: NFL’s ‘Joe Brrr’ is proving quite a diamond for the Cincinnati Bengals

By Ben Morse, CNN

“Cartier glasses, I won’t even peek at you.”

Super Bowl-bound Joe Burrow — and his swag — is sweeping all before him.

The 25-year-old quarterback used the lyric from Lil Baby in the 2018 song “Yes Indeed” with Drake as the caption of his Instagram post in the aftermath of the Cincinnati Bengals’ extraordinary win over the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday.

The post included pictures from the victory, preceded by Burrow arriving at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City.

Decked out in a fur coat, a black roll neck, some shades and a chain, Burrow was the walking epitome of his nickname “Joe Brrr.” And his attire alone had people predicting a Bengals win.

Burrow was asked about his chain — capped off with a “JB9” pendant — afterwards, and specifically if the diamonds were real.

“They’re definitely real. I think I make too much money to have fake ones,” Burrow answered with a laugh. “So these are real.”

Burrow oozes charisma, and his never-say-die attitude and confidence off the field has helped transform the Bengals from the worst team in the NFL to Super Bowl challengers.

A long road

Burrow shot to prominence with his standout quarterbacking at LSU, but it was the photos of him celebrating his college’s national championship title in 2019 — smoking a cigar — that made him a fan favorite.

When Burrow was drafted in 2020 No. 1 overall by the Bengals, they were the worst team in the league with a historically bad playoff record.

In the space of two years, he has helped completely reshape the franchise’s future.

There were glimpses of his skillset in his rookie year last season, but that was cut short after he tore his anterior cruciate ligament and medial collateral ligament in Week 11 against the Washington Football Team.

But it has been in his second season where Burrow has really blossomed, both on and off the field.

Paired with his former LSU teammate Ja’Marr Chase, the Bengals have shocked the league with their explosive offense and gritty defense.

And despite being a franchise so often plagued with heartbreaking losses, Burrow has shown no signs of being bogged down by that history, leading his team in his first postseason run.

The Bengals earned their first playoff win in 31 years by beating the Las Vegas Raiders in the Wild Card round of the playoffs.

They beat the No. 1 seeded Tennessee Titans in the Divisional Round, before Sunday’s dramatic victory to advance to their first Super Bowl since 1989.

And there was an air of symmetry about the victory over the Chiefs for the Bengals.

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When Burrow and LSU beat Alabama in 2019, the team’s defensive tackle Tyler Shelvin carried Burrow off the field aloft on his shoulder.

It just so happened Shelvin was drafted by the Bengals in the fourth round of the 2021 draft, and so on Sunday, he once again picked up Burrow and placed him on his shoulder and paraded the victorious quarterback around.

Cincinnati will face the LA Rams in the finale of the 2021 season, and if Burrow’s confidence is anything to go by, there’s no reason the upstart Bengals can’t go all the way.

The-CNN-Wire
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