Joe Burrow overcomes playoff-record nine sacks to advance

Getty Images

Joe Burrow is Joe Montana.

Yes, it’s too early to compare achievements. It’s not too early to compare attitudes.

Both were brash, in a way that wasn’t. Montana had, and Burrow has, a nonchalant confidence backed up by their abilities. On Saturday, Burrow stayed cool and calm through nine sacks — equalling a playoff record — to emerge from Nashville with an upset over the No. 1 seed in the AFC.

It’s still not quite clear how it happened. Up 16-6, the Bengals blew a 10-point lead and it felt like the Titans would take the game, if not cover the spread. But a bad call (and/or bad execution) on fourth and short and an interception on a carom (Ryan Tannehill‘s third of the day) opened the door for the Bengals to steal it with a walk-off, 52-yard field goal.

Burrow finished with 348 passing yards, no touchdown passes, and an interception. Most importantly, he willed his team of upstarts to an unexpected win — and to their first AFC Championship appearance since 1988.

Inevitably, he’s going to take them to their first Super Bowl win. And their second. And maybe a few more. The first one quite possibly will come in three weeks.