SUPER BOWL LVI
Cincinnati Bengals vs. L.A. Rams, 6:30 p.m. (EST)
The line: Rams by 4
The weather: Translucent roof
The story: More evidence that we’re a divided country: Recent polls show that most bettors favor the Rams to win, but a plurality of fans want the Bengals, period – 38-31 percent, with 31 percent having no opinion. So it’s the People’s Choice vs. The Gamblers’ Choice. The Rams were made for this moment, with the team’s front office giving up the future for stars like Matt Stafford … and Von Miller … and Jalen Ramsey. But they didn’t bring them in to reach a Super Bowl; they’re here to win it. A smart man said that defense wins championships, right? Well, the Rams have defense in Miller … and Ramsey … and Aaron Donald … and Leonard Floyd. The plan, essentially, is to have Ramsey lock down Ja’Marr Chase, then turn a ferocious pass rush loose on Joe Burrow and see if it can do what Tennessee did. The Titans sacked him nine times. An aberration? Hardly. Nobody was sacked more this season than Burrow (51 times in 16 games). Keep that in mind because the line of scrimmage is where this game is won. Burrow’s the more reliable quarterback, but not if he’s treated like a pinata. I saw what happened to MVP Cam Newton in Super Bowl 50 … and Peyton Manning in Super Bowl XLVIII … and Tom Brady in Super Bowls XLVI and XLII. I think you get the idea: Great pass rushers trump great passers. Follow the money.
Something to consider: This is only the third time in Super Bowl history that both teams weren’t ranked in the Top 10 in scoring defense. The Rams were 15th this season; the Bengals 17th.
OUR BEST BETS
(All picks are made vs. the spread)
RON BORGES – Cincinnati (+4). Call it the Marvin Lewis Fan Club pick. I’ll also take the over on the National Anthem at 1:39 (SEASON RECORD: 12-11).
RICK GOSSELIN – Rams (--4). Matthew Stafford waited 13 years to be a championship quarterback (SEASON RECORD; 13-9-1).
CLARK JUDGE – Rams (--4). If the Titans can sack Joe Burrow nine times, what happens here? (SEASON RECORD: 14-9).
THEY SAID IT
“He’s expected to win his one-on-one. But I know what I can do. That’s going to be my mission this week.” – Cincinnati cornerback Mike Hilton on the Rams’ Cooper Kupp.
“No moment’s too big for him.” – L.A. Rams' coach Sean McVay on Matthew Stafford.
“I’m chasing Aaron Rodgers to try to be the best.” – Cincinnati quarterback Joe Burrow.
"I believe I'm the best defensive back in the NFL." -- L.A. Rams' cornerback Jalen Ramsey.
STAT OF THE WEEK
Joe Burrow is 5-0 in playoffs since losing a 2014 Division III high-school state championship game in Ohio (“the worst day of my life,” he once said).
STAT OF THE WEEK II
The Bengals are the fifth team to have a rookie lead them in receiving during the regular season (Ja'Marr Chase) and then advance to the Super Bowl. The previous four lost.
STAT OF THE WEEK III
At 74 years, 299 days, the Bengals’ Zac Taylor (age 38) and the Rams’ Sean McVay (age 36) are the youngest combined opposing head coaches in Super Bowl history. The youngest previous head coaching matchup was Pittsburgh’s Mike Tomlin (36 years, 323 days) vs. Arizona’s Ken Whisenhunt (46 years, 339 days) in Super Bowl XLIII.
FIVE GUYS TO WATCH
1. VON MILLER, LB, L.A. Rams. He has six sacks in his past seven games. He also has 6-1/2 sacks in seven career starts vs. the Bengals.
2. EVAN McPHERSON, PK, Cincinnati. He hasn’t missed a field-goal try this postseason, nailing four in each of the Bengals’ three playoff victories. Do the math: That’s 12 for 12.
3. COOPER KUPP, WR, L.A. Rams. He has 13 games this season with 100 or more yards receiving and 11 with 100-plus yards and a touchdown. Both are NFL records. He can become the first receiving Triple Crown winner to win a Super Bowl in the same season.
4. JA’MARR CHASE, WR, Cincinnati. He’s the first rookie receiver to have 100-plus yards in multiple playoff games. The Bengals are 6-1 this season (including the playoffs) when he has 100 yards in catches.
5. TREY HENDRICKSON, DE, Cincinnati. He was fifth in the league this season with a career-best 14 sacks.
TEN THINGS YOU PROBABLY SHOULD KNOW
1. Since the NFL began seeding in 1975, Super Bowl LVI is the first not to have a team seeded first or second in the game.
2. It’s also the first to have two teams seeded fourth or lower. The last fourth-seeded team to win a Super Bowl was the 2012 Baltimore Ravens.
3. For the 17th consecutive year the league will have a new Super Bowl champion, the longest streak without a repeat winner in the game’s history. The last team to win consecutive Super Bowls was the 2003-04 New England Patriots.
4. Including Cincinnati, five of the past 12 teams to reach the Super Bowl missed the playoffs the previous seasons.
5. Joe Burrow is the first quarterback drafted first overall to start a Super Bowl within his first two seasons.
6. Only two quarterbacks won Super Bowls in their first years with their teams – Baltimore’s Trent Dilfer in Super Bowl XXXV and Tampa Bay’s Tom Brady in Super Bowl LV. Matthew Stafford could become the third.
7. Cincinnati has a plus-5 turnover ratio in this year’s playoffs, thanks to six interceptions by six different players.
8. The Bengals are the first team in Super Bowl history to win each of their wild-card, divisional and conference championship games by seven or fewer points.
9. Teams wearing white jerseys won 14 of the past 17 Super Bowls.
10. Matthew Stafford has eight losing seasons on his resume, the most by any quarterback prior to a Super Bowl start. All starting quarterbacks from the previous five Super Bowls had a combined six losing seasons.
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February 13, 2022 at 09:00PM
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Super Bowl GPS: Can Rams' Defense Turn Bengals' Burrow into Ordinary Joe? - Sports Illustrated
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