Joe Burrow Has Monster Day in Win, Justin Jefferson Makes More History

Burrow tosses for 525 yards, Jefferson sets historic benchmark for a receiver

Joe Burrow and Justin Jefferson have stepped into the NFL and found instant success in the league. On Sunday in pivotal matchups with playoff implications, both players showed up for their respective teams. 

In a second straight blowout win of the Baltimore Ravens, Burrow tossed for 525 yards and four touchdowns, completing 37-of-46 passes in the process. It was the first 500+ yard performance of Burrow's young career and set a Bengals record for passing yards in a single game.

Burrow's performance capped off a season sweep of the Ravens and threw for 400+ yards in both outings, the first player in NFL history to do that in the same season against the same opponent. 

"It means a lot to the whole team. It's not just a reflection of me. It's on the offensive line, the coaching staff, the receivers and how we went out and executed today so that's exciting," Burrow said. 

"We're a complete team. Teams are gonna have to pick their poison with us and we've had some games where we haven't executed like we wanted to but also games where we couldn't have executed any better."

The performance shoots his overall stats for the year up to 4,165 yards and 30 touchdowns, 1,163 yards and 10 touchdowns of which has gone to former LSU teammate Ja'Marr Chase. The NFL even elected to change its header photo on its Twitter page after the dominant performance from Burrow. 

That's got a nice ring to it, @NFL! pic.twitter.com/55AN0uWltO

— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) December 26, 2021

Meanwhile Jefferson turned in another big day for the Minnesota Vikings, albeit in a losing effort. Jefferson hauled in eight passes for 116 yards, setting a new NFL record for receiving yards through two seasons.

Since being drafted No. 22 overall by the Vikings in 2020, Jefferson has 2,735 yards through the air, surpassing former LSU receiver Odell Beckham Jr. for the most by a receiver. He's quickly vaulted himself into the upper echelon of pass catchers in the game and it hasn't been surprising watching his film and seeing the way he runs routes.

"Being in this situation with him in the building, there was no other perfect situation for me," Jefferson said. "A win would be better with that record but we gotta move on."

It was another big day for former LSU players, particularly from that 2019 championship team. Chase would bring in seven passes for 127 yards while Clyde Edwards-Helaire would also score a touchdown for the Kansas City Chiefs in a blowout win.