The connection between Joe Burrow and Ja'Marr Chase might be the best thing in the NFL since Joe Montana to Jerry Rice.
The numbers back that up, too. Burrow and Chase will put that on display in the AFC championship game against the Chiefs on Sunday.
Burrow and Chase won a national championship together at LSU in 2019. This year has rekindled comparisons to that unstoppable season with the Tigers.
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The record-setting has carried over from college to the pros, and the numbers from that three-year stretch are staggering. Here is a closer look at that connection between Burrow and Chase from LSU to Cincinnati:
Joe Burrow to Ja'Marr Chase at LSU
Both arrived on different paths to LSU in 2018. Burrow was a graduate transfer from Ohio State. Chase was a four-star recruit from Archbishop Rummel in Metairie, La. Burrow struggled in 2018, and Chase did not play much, but the arrival of passing game coordinator Joe Brady changed everything in 2019.
Burrow passed for 5,671 yards and 60 TDs. Chase, who had 84 catches for 1,780 yards and 20 TDs; and Justin Jefferson, who had 111 catches for 1,540 yards and 18 TDs, went off in the offense. The confidence between Burrow and Chase grew with LSU coordinator Steve Ensminger.
"Guys around the offense laughed about the 50-50 ball," Ensminger said via ESPN.com. "They said, 'Hey, in this room, with Ja'Marr and Joe, it's an 80-20 ball.'"
Chase became a household name after a dominant six-catch, 140-yard performance in the No. 1 vs. No. 2 showdown against Alabama on Nov. 9, 2019.
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Burrow and Chase then set multiple records in the 42-25 victory against Clemson in the CFP championship game. Burrow threw five TD passes, and Chase had 221 yards and three TDs.
Chase had six games that season where he had more than 100 yards and averaged more than 20 yards per catch. It was an unstoppable connection with Burrow, for sure.
Joe Burrow targeting Ja'Marr Chase at LSU:
— PFF College (@PFF_College) March 2, 2021
🎯 95.4 passing grade
🎯 23 TDs (3 INTs)
🎯 141.9 passer rating pic.twitter.com/2cv6sI93ly
Burrow to Chase reloaded with Bengals
Burrow was the No. 1 pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, but his rookie season was cut short when he suffered a torn ACL and MCL. Chase opted out of the 2020 college football season – which was impacted by COVID-19. The Bengals selected Chase with the No. 5 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft ahead of Alabama receivers Jaylen Waddle and DeVonta Smith.
"I'm ready to put on a show." - Ja'Marr Chase pic.twitter.com/ZUqKBYQZxL
— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) April 30, 2021
Burrow reportedly told Chase to "pack his bags" that morning, and Chase had a bold prediction in his introductory press conference.
"I'm going to break every record they got at the Bengals," Chase said. "That's my goal."
Chase backed that up with 1,455 receiving yards and 13 TDs as a rookie. He broke Justin Jefferson's NFL rookie record of 1,400 yards set the previous season. (That does not count Houston's Bill Groman, who had 1,473 yards with Houston in the AFL in 1960.)
The most memorable performance was the 11-catch, 266-yard, three-TD performance against the Chiefs in Week 16.
MORE: Joe Burrow, Ja'Marr Chase enjoy 'unbelievable experience' in return to Superdome
Burrow to Chase in 2022
The connection remains strong in 2022. Chase had 87 catches for 1,046 yards and nine TDs in 2022. That puts Chase among the top-five receivers after two seasons in NFL history. Look at the names on this list, according to StatMuse.com.
| WR | YARDS | YPC | TD |
| Justin Jefferson | 3,016 | 15.4 | 17 |
| Odell Beckham Jr. | 2,755 | 14.7 | 25 |
| Randy Moss | 2,726 | 18.3 | 28 |
| Ja'Marr Chase | 2,501 | 14.9 | 22 |
| Jerry Rice | 2,497 | 18.5 | 18 |
That is good company considering Moss and Rice were among the wide receiver selections on the "NFL 100" team and are typically among the first few receivers mentioned in "greatest of all time" discussions.
Burrow to Chase since '19
Let's add up the three seasons between LSU in 2019 and the Bengals in 2021 and 2022. It comes out to this:
| YEAR | TEAM | TARGETS | REC. | YDS | YPC | TD |
| 2019 | LSU | 121 | 84 | 1,780 | 21.2 | 20 |
| 2021 | Bengals | 128 | 81 | 1,455 | 18.0 | 13 |
| 2022 | Bengals | 134 | 87 | 1,046 | 12.0 | 9 |
| TOTAL | 383 | 252 | 4,281 | 17.0 | 42 |
That's 17.0 yards per catch on a 65.8% catch percentage between LSU and Cincinnati.
Burrow to Chase in the playoffs
Chase has caught a TD each of the last two weeks for the Bengals against the Ravens and Bills. In six career postseason games, Chase has 39 catches on 55 targets for 513 yards and three TDs. Chase also was wide open on the Bengals' final offensive play in the Super Bowl 56 loss to the Rams, but Burrow was pressured by Aaron Donald on the play for an incomplete pass.
MORE: Bengals players irk Chiefs with 'Burrowhead' Stadium shot
Best QB-WR combos in NFL history
Burrow and Chase are on the path to be one of the most prolific pass-catching duos in NFL history.
Peyton Manning and Marvin Harrison have the NFL record with 114 TD passes between the regular season and the playoffs. Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski are next with 104 TDs, and Steve Young and Jerry Rice combined for 92 TDs.
Per StatMuse.com, Rice had 386 catches for 6,710 yards and 67 TDs in 77 games with Joe Montana. That included two Super Bowl victories, and the 11-catch, 215-yard performance in Super Bowl 23 against the Bengals.
If Burrow and Chase can lead Cincinnati to victory Sunday, then it's possible they could play the 49ers in Super Bowl 57. What a connection that would be.
