By KACE KIESCHNICK, Tiger Rag Staff Reporter
Former LSU Heisman-winning quarterback Joe Burrow threw four second half touchdowns and totaled 292 passing yards as he led the Cincinnati Bengals to a 35-13 comeback win over the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday. His former LSU teammate, Ja’Marr Chase caught one of those touchdowns as the duo continues to cement their place among the greatest quarterback-wide receiver tandems in NFL history.
The pair are almost halfway through their sixth season together – Burrow was the top pick in the 2020 Draft and Chase the No. 5 pick in 2021 – and they have already put up numbers to rival NFL legends. In Cincinnati’s 31-24 win over Miami in Week 5, Burrow’s 45-yard touchdown heave to Chase gave them the No. 3 spot for the most 40-plus-yard touchdown connections between a QB and WR. Their 18 long touchdowns trail only Peyton Manning and Marvin Harrison (21) and Steve Young and Jerry Rice (20).
Chase’s 2-yard score on Sunday was the 53rd touchdown he has caught from Burrow in the NFL. That ranks No. 22 all-time among QB-WR duos, tied with Dante Culpepper and Randy Moss and Sonny Jurgensen and Charley Taylor. They are just two touchdowns behind Joe Montanan and Jerry Rice, who is the only duo ahead of them to play together just six seasons, half a year longer than Burrow and Chase have. Manning and Harrison top this list as well with 112 scores.
The Colts played 158 games together over 11 seasons. Burrow and Chase have taken the field together in the NFL 69 times, but they are on pace to match Manning and Harrison’s touchdown record in 146 games. That would require them to play together for about 4 ½ more healthy seasons. Burrow is only 29 years old while Chase is 26, and both are under contract to stay in Cincinnati through the 2029 season.
The ex-Tigers stars have already shown they have the talent and chemistry to hang with the best that the NFL has ever seen, but where their connection finishes among the all-time duos will depend on their longevity.
The two Bengals individual statistics have also benefited from their dynamic connection.
Burrow currently has the highest career completion percentage in NFL history (68.7%), ahead of Brock Purdy, Tua Tagovailoa, Drew Brees and Jimmy Garoppolo. In 83 games, he is 2,078-of-3,025 for 22,463 yards and 172 touchdowns with 54 interceptions. He ranks fourth in league history with 270.6 passing yards per game behind Patrick Mahomes, Brees and Andrew Luck. Burrow is fifth in Bengals franchise history for passing yards, and he is just 231 yards behind Carson Palmer in fourth.
Among Bengals receivers, Chase took the No. 3 spot for the most receiving yards all-time after that win against the Dolphins, passing Isaac Curtis. He has caught 552 passes for 7,188 yards and 59 touchdowns in his 84-game career. Chase is also No. 4 in receiving touchdowns for the team and could take Chad Johnson’s No. 1 spot this year with eight more touchdown grabs in the final 11 games this season. Like Burrow’s passing average, Chase is fourth all-time in receiving yards per game (85.6) behind Puca Nacua, Justin Jefferson and Calvin Johnson, just ahead of Antonio Brown and Julio Jones.
Chase has been Burrow’s leading receiver all five NFL seasons they have completed together, although Tee Higgins holds that designation so far this season with 571 yards on 33 catches. Chase has one less catch than Higgins and five touchdowns compared to his two this year, but he has totaled 351 yards through six games. Burrow is 157-of-219 for 1,653 yards, 15 touchdowns and three interceptions this season.
Burrow has dealt with injuries throughout his NFL career. He has missed 22 regular season games over his seven years in the league, but he has thrown for over 4,000 yards in every season that he played more than 10 games. The Bengals have a 47-35-1 record with him as the starter, and his only losing record as a starter came in his rookie year before Chase joined him in Cincinnati.
In 2022, the pair helped the Bengals to their first Super Bowl appearance since 1989, but they came up short in a 23-20 loss to the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl LVI. Cincinnati made it back to the AFC Championship the following season but have gone 24-27 and missed the playoffs the last three seasons as Burrow dealt with injuries and the team was hindered by a historically poor defense. With a 4-2 start to this year, though, Burrow and Chase are looking to pair some hardware with their eye-popping numbers.
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