INGLEWOOD, Calf. -- Joe Burrow got beat up, play after play as the Los Angeles defensive front dominated Super Bowl LVI, en route to a 23-20 Rams victory over the Cincinnati Bengals.
In the fourth quarter, Von Miller took Burrow down for the Rams' seventh sack of the game. The QB's leg bent awkwardly, and he grimaced on the ground. After gingerly walking off, however, he didn't seek medical attention on the sideline.
Burrow said after the loss that he had his knee checked out and would again when the team gets back to Cincinnati, but said the knee "feels good," and there was no chance he would miss the rest of the contest.
"I wasn't coming out," Burrow said.
Burrow was under siege by the Rams' defensive front, getting sacked seven times and pressured on 42.5% of his dropbacks -- second-highest for Burrow in his career. His average time to throw was 2.41 seconds, meaning he was either getting the ball out quick or getting pounded by rushers.
Burrow refused to blame his offensive line, despite the group allowing sacks on 17.1% of his dropbacks Sunday. The QB said some of the sacks were his fault.
"Disappointed in my performance overall," he said of going 22-of-33 passing for 263 yards and a touchdown. "I thought I could have played better. You live, and you learn."
The Bengals took the lead early in the third quarter, but weren't able to make the Rams pay for a struggling offense. After going up 20-13 in the third quarter, Cincy generated zero total yards on their its three drives and just four total first downs the rest of the way.
The Bengals offensive line was a concern entering the season, and it remains so exiting Super Bowl LVI. Burrow did a phenomenal job overcoming the pressure much of the year, particularly in the playoffs. But Sunday it was too much.
"We're a young team," Burrow said. "You'd like to think we're going to be back in this situation multiple times over the course of the next few years. We take this and let it fuel you for the rest of our careers."
To get back to the Super Bowl and win next time, the Bengals must do a better job of protecting the franchise quarterback. It's the No. 1 goal this offseason for Director of Player Personnel Duke Tobin and the rest of the Bengals front office.
