Super Bowl LVI: Rams Attack versus Bengals Defense

It can well be said that the LVI edition of the Super Bowl is surprising, since it will be played by two teams that were not favorites to go so far in the season, but the truth is that Matthew Stafford’s Los Angeles Rams and Joe Burrow’s Cincinnati Bengals will fight for the coveted Vince Lombardi trophy at Sofi Stadium, a venue that coincidentally serves as the home of the Californian team.

Just like the previous edition in which the Tampa Bay Buccaneers became the first team to play and win the Super Bowl at home, in this one the Rams will have the slight advantage of playing in a stadium they know better than anyone, although, for Administrative conditions established by the National Football League in home rotation according to conference, the host will be Bengals.

Los Angeles starts as favorites to obtain its second NFL championship. According to various bookmakers, they have a four-point advantage over Cincinnati, assured Esto.com. The figures of specialists handle a -200 for the victory of Rams and +165 for that of Bengalis, while the point line is 50, higher than usual, especially due to the explosiveness of the Rams offense.

Arguments favor the Rams

The team led by quarterback Matthew Stafford looks more complete on both sides of the ball, but especially on offense. His two offensive linemen, Cooper Kupp and Odell Beckham Jr., form a fearsome duo and, in fact, the first of them is considered the best attacker this season by the specialized press.

But be careful, if we reduce the analysis only to the quarterback, Stafford, the first pick in the draft in 2009, leaves many doubts in moments of pressure, since he is prone to losing the ball and, in addition, his rushing attack is nil. His two partners in attack have been key to his appearance, but in that department, the Bengals look better with Joe Burrow.

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The defense is an oak, as was shown against the outgoing champion, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and then against the San Francisco 49ers with constant interceptions, having Aaron Donald as the main standard, the experienced Von Miller (He already played Super Bowl L in 2016 with the Denver Broncos), Jalen Ramsey and Travin Howard.

From a kicker’s standpoint, Matt Gay has had two big misses against the Bucs and 49ers that could have cost his team the win, and they’re at a disadvantage in this part of the game. Not so in the coach, because Sean McVay, criticized in the past for his conservative style, already has the experience of leading a Super Bowl (2018 when he lost to the New England Patriots) and is recognized for leading his offenses well.

During their path to the Super Bowl, they blew out the Arizona Cardinals, then the former champion (Buccanners) in a split game, and finally the San Francisco 49ers. In the regular season, they were fourth in the National Conference with a 12-5 record and leaders of the Western Division.

Bengals, to keep surprising

It is a team that defends very well, but whose weakness is in the attack. It is not common to see them score more than 30 points per game. Burrow is very talented (pick 1 of the 2020 draft), but he can hardly solve critical game situations on his own when his offensive linemen, Jamar Chase or Joe Mixon, are not having a good day or are well covered.

To talk about the Ohio team, it must be said that it is amazing to see them in the final game if you judge by the previous analyzes of the season in which they were in the last line of candidates for the title along with very irregular teams like Detroit Lions, Jacksonville Jaguars or Houston Texans. The study was based on the fact that they were last in the North Division of the American Conference in the 2020-21 harvest.

His main hope of victory rests on defense, on men like Sam Hubbard, Trey Hendrickson and Von Bell, who are true “dogs” to pressure the opposing quarterback and make him make bad decisions as happened to Pat Mahomes in the final. of Conference, blocked during all the second half.

In addition, they have the impetus of Germaine Pratt, a very judicious linebacker when it comes to stealing or cutting the ball. If they can keep up the intensity on defense throughout the engagement, Stafford will screw up multiple times, that’s for sure, and they’ll be able to stay in the game.

One aspect that favors the AFC champions is their kicking percentage this postseason has been perfect, with 12 conversions on as many attempts. He is a very reliable kicker, much more so than Gay in Los Angeles.

On the coaching side, Zac Taylor is contemporary with his McVay counterpart, but he has less experience despite hitting the high note this season with the Bengals’ breakneck rise. It is only his third season as manager and his first Super Bowl, against five and second respectively of his aforementioned colleague.

In this postseason they left the Las Vegas Raiders, the Tennessee Titans and the Kansas City Chiefs on the road. They, in turn, ranked fourth with a 10-7 record and leaders of the North Division ahead of other, a priori better armed franchises such as the Baltimore Ravens, Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns.

The facts of the two finalist

It will be the Rams’ fifth Super Bowl. They only won the one in 1999 when they played in San Luis. This will be his first opportunity to win the championship in the city of Los Angeles.

In the case of the Bengals, it will be their third title attempt after those they played in the 1981-82 and 88-89 editions, accidentally defeated in both cases by the San Francisco 49ers. They have never been NFL champions, but in 2021-22 they went from breaking a 31-year postseason winless streak to being just one win away from the Vince Lombardi Trophy.