- Masood, Abdullah centuries lift Pakistan to 328-4 in first England Test
- Hurricane Milton strengthens fast, threatens Mexico, Florida
- Tunisia's President Saied set for landslide election win
- Barca hoping to return to Camp Nou 'by end of year'
- Trump to open second golf course at Scotland resort in summer 2025
- Super-sub Jhon Duran rewarded with new Aston Villa deal
- US duo win Nobel for gene regulation breakthrough
- Masood hits first ton for four years to power Pakistan to 233-1
- Fritz wins delayed match to reach Shanghai Masters third round
- Naomi Osaka pulls out of Japan Open with back injury
- Weather may delay launch of mission to study deflected asteroid
- China to flesh out economic stimulus plans after bumper rally
- Artist Marina Abramovic hopes first China show offers tech respite
- Asian markets track Wall St rally on US jobs data
- Pakistan 122-1 at lunch in first England Test
- Kazakhs approve plan for first nuclear power plant
- World marks anniversary of Oct. 7 attack on Israel
- 'Second family': tennis stars hunt winning formula with new coaches
- Philippines, South Korea agree to deepen maritime cooperation
- Mexico mayor murdered days after taking office
- Sardinia's sheep farmers battle bluetongue as climate warms
- Japan govt admits doctoring 'untidy' cabinet photo
- Israel marks first anniversary of Hamas's October 7 attack
- Darvish tames Ohtani as Padres thrash Dodgers
- Asian markets track Wall St rally on jobs data
- Family affair as LeBron, Bronny James make Lakers bow
- Cancer, cardiovascular drugs tipped for Nobel as prize week opens
- As Great Salt Lake dries, Utah Republicans pardon Trump climate skepticism
- Amazon activist warns of 'critical situation' ahead of UN forum
- Mourners pay tribute to latest victims of deadly Channel crossing
- Tunisia incumbent Saied set to win presidential vote: exit polls
- Phillies win thriller to level Mets series
- Yu bags first PGA Tour win with playoff win
- PSG held by Nice to leave Monaco clear at top of Ligue 1
- AC Milan fall at Fiorentina after De Gea's penalty heroics
- Lewandowski treble for leaders Barca as Atletico held
- Fresh Israeli strikes hit south Beirut
- Sucic stunner earns Real Sociedad draw against Atletico
- PSG draw with Nice, fail to reclaim top spot in Ligue 1
- Gudmundsson downs AC Milan after De Gea's penalty heroics for Fiorentina
- 'Yes' vote prevails in Kazakhstan nuclear plant vote: TV
- 'Difficult day': Oct 7 commemorations begin with festival memorial
- Commemorations begin for anniversary of attack on Israel
- Lewandowski hat-trick powers Liga leaders Barca to Alaves victory
- 'Nothing gets in way of team,' says Celtics' MVP hopeful Tatum
- India maintain Pakistan stranglehold as Windies cruise at Women's T20 World Cup
- 'We will win!': Mozambique's ruling party confident at final vote rally
- Tunisia voting ends as Saied eyes re-election with critics behind bars
- Florida braces for Milton, FEMA head slams 'dangerous' Helene misinformation
- Postecoglou slams 'unacceptable' Spurs after 'terrible' loss at Brighton
Burrow happy to be underdog as Super Bowl looms
Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals head into Sunday's Super Bowl showdown with the Los Angeles Rams as firm underdogs. And that's just the way the talented Bengals quarterback likes it.
Whether it's making a successful return from a devastating knee injury or turning the form book upside down, Burrow is never more dangerous than when the odds are stacked against him.
Burrow will look to confound conventional wisdom again on Sunday when the Bengals battle the heavily favored Rams in their own SoFi Stadium for the Vince Lombardi Trophy.
After Burrow led the Bengals on a remarkable giant-killing run to the NFL showpiece, the Rams would be unwise to underestimate the 25-year-old quarterback.
A year ago, Burrow was rehabbing his wrecked left knee after suffering multiple torn cruciate ligaments in November 2020, cutting short a promising rookie year.
But he returned this year with a vengeance, carrying the Bengals into the playoffs and inspiring upset road wins over the top-seeded Tennessee Titans and Kansas City Chiefs.
Victory over the Chiefs in the AFC Championship game came in overtime after the Bengals overturned a 21-3 half-time deficit.
Burrow's composure in that game confirmed the impression he has made since entering the league as the No.1 pick in the 2020 draft -- that he is among the leading lights of a new generation of young quarterbacks set to dominate the NFL.
"When the moments are big, he plays big," is how Bengals head coach Zac Taylor describes his quarterback. "He's built for these kind of stages."
"We've got really good talent and football character on this team, and when you've got a quarterback who you believe can take you the distance, it allows everyone to play that 1 percent better," Taylor added. "Because they know the trigger man's capable of doing some really special things.
- 'A special one' -
"He's able to elevate his team-mates, and coaches and those around him to believe that special things are possible."
During rehab from his knee injury last year, Burrow formed a bond with the Rams' veteran offensive lineman Andrew Whitworth.
Whitworth, who spent 11 seasons with the Bengals before joining the Rams in 2017, was also recovering from knee surgery and invited Burrow to spend time at his home in Los Angeles.
Whitworth recalls contacting Bengals head coach Taylor after spending a day with Burrow.
"Man, you got a special one," Whitworth told Taylor. "We all knew from the talent, the ability you had seen him play in college how good he was gonna be.
"But sitting with him for that full day, I realized, 'Man, this guy is going to be a really, really special quarterback for quite some time.'"
A victory on Sunday would elevate Burrow into an exclusive club.
Only two other quarterbacks -- New York Jets icon Joe Namath and San Francisco 49ers legend Joe Montana -- have won both a Super Bowl and a National Collegiate Championship.
Burrow, who guided Louisiana State University to the national championship in 2020, has earned comparisons to Montana this season for his rare calm under pressure.
Approaching the biggest game of his life, Burrow doubts he will be bothered by stage fright.
“When I played in the state championship in high school it feels like the Super Bowl does now," Burrow said.
"Everything feels the same - I’ve just had more reps in those pressure situations.
"I'm a little bit calmer now."
With Tom Brady following Ben Roethlisberger and Drew Brees into retirement in recent seasons, Burrow is happy to be in the vanguard of the new generation of NFL quarterbacks that includes talents such as Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Justin Herbert, Kyler Murry and Lamar Jackson.
"It's great for the fans," Burrow says. "Quarterback play is what drives the league in my opinion.
"We have a lot of really good young players who I think are going to be here for a long time. It's fun to be a part of it."
P.Stevenson--AMWN