For Joe Burrow, Bengals to get over Super Bowl hump, offensive line needs addressing - Cincinnati Bengals Blog- ESPN

INGLEWOOD, Calif. — It looked like Joe Burrow was about to do it again.

With the Cincinnati Bengals needing 1 yard to keep their comeback hopes afloat in Super Bowl LVI, Burrow tried to wriggle out of the grasp of a rushing Los Angeles Rams defender. It’s something he has done often throughout Cincinnati’s best season in 33 years.

But the Rams player was Aaron Donald, one of the most dominant defensive linemen in NFL history. Burrow flung the ball aimlessly, it fell to the ground, the Bengals' comeback hopes sunk.

Despite a leaky offensive line that exposed him to constant hits throughout the 2021 season, Burrow nearly brought the Bengals the franchise's first Super Bowl victory. But the 23-20 loss to the Rams at SoFi Stadium was evidence there’s only so much a great quarterback can do when it comes to winning at the highest level.

“He’s a fighter,” Bengals coach Zac Taylor said. “He’s one of the toughest guys I’ve ever met. So much respect for Joe. He’s gotten us to this moment. It’s just unfortunate that we couldn’t finish it off as a team.”

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The Bengals' offensive line ranked 30th this season in pass block win rate, an ESPN metric powered by NFL Next Gen. Such poor protection hamstrung Cincinnati's offense, which wants to put pressure on defenses with explosive plays.

The Rams' defensive line led the NFL in pass rush win rate this season. And they were as good as advertised on Sunday, limiting the playcalls available to Taylor. Burrow averaged 2.41 seconds per pass attempt according to NFL Next Gen, the