Rick Scuteri/Associated Press
The Cincinnati Bengals might have felt like they were watching their own future on Monday night.
That's when presumed No. 1 pick Joe Burrow steered the LSU Tigers to a national title, throwing for 463 yards and five touchdowns while knocking off the defending champion Clemson 42-25. It was the perfect final chapter on a record-breaking, Heisman-winning season for the former Ohio State backup.
The Bengals, who "won" the right to take Burrow by going an abysmal 2-14 during coach Zac Taylor's first season, can't mess this up. They need a franchise quarterback, and Burrow left no doubt that he's the perfect prospect for the job.