Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford and Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow have taken very different paths to Super Bowl LVI, but they both started their careers the same way, as the first overall pick in the NFL draft.
Stafford vs. Burrow is just the second time that both Super Bowl starting quarterbacks were first overall picks. The first time was six years ago, when Peyton Manning’s Broncos beat Cam Newton‘s Panthers.
The Lions drafted Stafford first overall in the 2009 NFL draft, and they never sniffed a Super Bowl with him: Detroit made the playoffs only three times with Stafford, losing in the wild card round all three times, before trading him to the Rams after 12 seasons. He’s now in the Super Bowl in his first year as a Ram.
The Bengals drafted Burrow first overall in the 2020 NFL draft, and after a rookie season cut short by a serious knee injury, his second season has been everything Cincinnati dreamed of when Burrow arrived.
In two weeks, one of them will be celebrating with the Lombardi Trophy.