Joe Burrow: We’d like to jump out early and…

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The Rams’ vaunted pass rush going against the Bengals spotty pass protection is one of the key matchups in Super Bowl LVI.

While quarterback Joe Burrow was sacked only once in the AFC Championship Game against the Chiefs, the Titans brought him down nine times in the divisional round. And despite playing 16 out of 17 regular-season games, Burrow was sacked a league-high 51 times.

Earlier this week, Burrow said he has the “utmost confidence” in his offensive line. But the other factor that could help neutralize Los Angeles’ pass rushers is if Cincinnati gets off to a hot start and takes an early lead.

“We’d like to start out fast,” Burrow said in his Wednesday press conference. “They have a really good pass rush so when they know that a team’s dropping back and throwing the ball, they kind of tee off. So we want to get out to a strong start.

“But whatever the game calls for, for us to win, we’re going to go out and do. If we get behind early, we’re not going to panic. So maybe a comeback is going to be necessary, but we’d like to jump out early and control the game.”

The Bengals had leads in their first two playoff games, but were down 21-3 midway through the second quarter against the Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game.

So while Cincinnati has displayed an ability to come back when necessary, it would undoubtedly be better for them to grab an advantage and keep it.