Joe Burrow won himself hordes of new fans while leading the upstart Cincinnati Bengals to their first Super Bowl appearance in over 30 years. Among them? The Los Angeles Rams quarterback kept Burrow and the Bengals from bringing the Vince Lombardi Trophy back to Cincinnati for the first time ever.

After the Rams beat the Bengals 23-20 in Super Bowl LVI, Matthew Stafford went out of his way to give Burrow some heartfelt words of encouragement amid celebrating the ultimate triumph.

Being himself has certainly worked out for Burrow thus far.

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It was just three-and-a-half years ago that he won the starting job at LSU as a largely anonymous transfer from Ohio State. Burrow's first season in Baton Rouge was a success, but hardly portended future superstardom. That all changed in 2019, when Burrow captained one of the most talented teams in college football history to the national championship, throwing for a whopping 60 touchdowns and 5,671 yards en route to the Heisman Trophy.

The 25-year-old followed up a strong rookie season cut short by injury with a standout sophomore campaign, winning Comeback Player of the Year while passing for 34 touchdowns, 14 interceptions and 4,611 yards. An otherwise dream season ended in disappointment on Sunday, though. Burrow was sacked seven times by Los Angeles in the Super Bowl, unable to get Cincinnati's offense on track.

Stafford, meanwhile, threw for 283 yards, three touchdowns and two picks against the Bengals, leading Los Angeles on a game-winning touchdown drive late in the fourth quarter. His mind-blowing no-look pass as the Super Bowl hung in the balance is already the stuff of legend, too.

Kudos to Stafford for reaching the pinnacle of a long, arduous, ultra-productive NFL career. Just like the football-viewing masses, it's safe to say he wouldn't be surprised if Burrow gets there sooner rather than later.