But despite their relative youth, Bengals Coach Zac Taylor pointed to the big-stage experience many of his players earned in college or on other N.F.L. teams. Taylor, 38, is in just his third season as a head coach but was the quarterbacks coach for the Rams in Super Bowl LIII.
He said that he and Duke Tobin, the team’s director of player personnel, intentionally built the team around players with postseason experience.
“They certainly are not overwhelmed by these moments — they have proven that over the last two months,” Taylor said. “It’s a lot of guys who have played in championships in college, whether it was at L.S.U. or Clemson or Alabama or Ohio State. And then a lot of these free agents we’ve signed, they have been a part of playoff teams before. So these guys, they know they belong on this stage.”
Nine Bengals players, including Burrow and Chase, won a national championship in college. Trey Hendrickson and Mike Daniels were among the free-agent signings who had playoff experience with their previous teams, the New Orleans Saints and Green Bay Packers.
The Rams have some talented friends joining Aaron Donald.
When Von Miller, the former Denver Broncos linebacker, was traded to the Rams in November, he said cried tears of both joy and sadness.
Miller said in a news conference in November that on one hand, it hurt to leave the only organization he had been with after a decade. Then, Miller added, he realized he was going to play alongside Donald, the All-Pro defensive lineman who is one of the best players in football.
Donald and Miller have been an elite pairing since that trade, particularly in the postseason. In three playoff games, they each have a combined 32 pressures and four sacks, according to Pro Football Focus.