Two teams have outlasted the rest, setting the stage for a Super Bowl LVI match-up that very few predicted back in August (or even the start of the playoffs, for that matter).
Stepping into the NFL playoffs in January 2022, a long-suffering Cincinnati Bengals franchise was looking for their 1st-postseason win since January 1991. Led by second-year quarterback Joe Burrow and rookie wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase, many thought a win in the wildcard game could happen but the Bengals were likely a year or two away from being a true contender.
Boy did Cincinnati prove people, myself included, wrong.
Wins over the the Las Vegas Raiders (26-19), the top-seed Tennessee Titans (19-16), and the Kansas City Chiefs (27-24 in overtime) cemented Cincinnati's entry into the big game. After holding off late-rallies in each of their first two games, the Bengals had their own comeback against the Chiefs after trailing 21-3 in the 1st-half.
Ahead of schedule or not, the Bengals will be playing in their first Super Bowl since a January 1989 appearance, where they lost 20-16 to the San Francisco 49ers.
The rematch 33 years in the making did not materialize, thanks to the Los Angeles Rams. The Rams won the NFC Championship and are in their second Super Bowl in the last four years (where they lost 13-3 to New England back in February 2019).
The Rams were expected to be here, as they have been a favorite pick since training camp. Hype grew even more when Von Miller and Odell Beckham Jr., among others, joined the Rams midseason. Such a lock for a title they were, social media went bonkers with the Rounders GIF of Teddy KGB going all in (which leads me to believe people hadn't seen the movie to know how that ends). This charge was led by none other than the Rams social media account:
We're all in. pic.twitter.com/3Z0ELD11RW
— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) November 1, 2021
It took some time and a few hiccups but the Rams (12-5) eventually figured it out enough to win the NFC West. In reaching Super Bowl LVI, Los Angeles defeated the Arizona Cardinals, dethroned defending champion Tampa Bay (30-27), and finally ended a six-game losing streak to the 49ers (20-17).
Super Bowl LVI takes place on Sunday February 13 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, CA. Kickoff is set for 6:30 pm (ET).
Cincinnati Bengals
The pieces were already in place for the Bengals to make an impact this season, especially on offense. It was a young group and one that performed exceptionally, leading Cincinnati to the AFC North title and Super Bowl berth.
That begins with Burrow, Mr. Joe Cool himself (not to be confused with Joe Camel).
The title-winning, cigar-smoking, cool-under-pressure quarterback was a driving force in Cincinnati's season. Bouncing back from a season-ending knee injury as a rookie, Burrow was slinging the ball around the field from game one.
Burrow threw for 4611 yards, completing 70.4 percent of his pass attempts. He threw 34 touchdowns and 14 interceptions.
The playoffs have been just as consistent for the second-year quarterback. Burrow is at 68.8 percent completion rate, throwing for 842 yards with four touchdowns and two interceptions.
He has two of the game's bright stars at receivers in Chase and Tee Higgins. Chase only continued to get better as the season progressed and finished with 81 receptions, 1455 yards and 13 touchdown receptions. Higgins was nearly as stellar with 74 catches for 1091 yards and six touchdowns.
The two have contributed close to the same production through three playoff games, combining for 34 catches for 488 yards and one score.
One of the game's best running backs occupies the Bengal backfield. Joe Mixon had one of his most consistent seasons, rushing for 1205 yards and 13 touchdowns. Mixon has been bottled up a bit in the playoffs, averaging roughly 63 yards per game. He's seen his yards per carry average drop from 4.1 to 3.7.
Wide receiver Tyler Boyd and tight end C.J. Uzomah could be players who rise up to have MVP-type games. Both will factor in heavily in Cincinnati's game-plan, though Uzomah was injured in the AFC championship game. He said he expects to play on Sunday.
Keeping Burrow upright will be an absolute must. He was sacked 51 times during the regular season and another 12 in the playoffs, including nine times against the Titans.
And of course, kicker extraordinaire Evan McPherson will play a huge part. McPherson has been money on the road this season, and even more clutch in the playoffs.
Cincinnati averaged 27.1 points in the regular season, which is down to 24 in the playoffs. Their defense gave up 22.1, dropping down to 20 in three playoff games. They are kind of no-name unit but growing in confidence and swagger each game, though they have given up the most yards in this year's playoffs.
Logan Wilson has 30 tackles in the playoffs.
Overall, the Bengals ranked 26th against the pass and 5th against the run
Los Angeles Rams
Quarterback Matthew Stafford and company will look to take advantage of the low-ranked Bengal secondary. It is a vaunted Rams aerial attack, especially when the Stafford - Cooper Kupp connection is firing on all cylinders.
Kupp is simply on another level this season. While at times it seems Stafford can get too locked in on Kupp, it doesn't seem to matter much in terms of success.
Kupp had an elite season, hauling in 145 receptions (on 191 targets). He had 1947 receiving yards and found the end zone 16 times.
Help in the receiving corps arrived with Beckham. In eight regular season games with the Rams, he had 27 receptions for 305 yards and three touchdowns. His arrival helped offset the season-ending injury to Robert Woods.
Van Jefferson helped in this regard, too. His 50 receptions, 802 yards, and six touchdowns ranked second on the team in these categories. Jefferson, along with tight end Tyler Higbee, if healthy, could be in for a huge game if Cincinnati is able to shut down Kupp and Beckham.
Stafford was the beneficiary of all this talent. His numbers were similar to Burrow's, though Stafford did play in one more game than the Bengal quarterback. Stafford had 4886 passing yards in the regular season, completing 67.2 percent of his pass attempts. He tossed 41 touchdowns and threw 17 interceptions.
Playoff numbers haven't dropped too much for Stafford, with Kupp and Beckham accounting for 622 of Stafford's 905 yards.
It will be the running game that could make-or-break the Rams. The team is averaging less than 90 yards per game on the ground in the playoffs and will likely be spearheaded by three-person committee on Super Bowl Sunday.
The leading rusher on the season was Sony Michel, who totaled 845 yards. Cam Akers made his season-debut in the playoffs and has 151 yards in the postseason, averaging 2.8 yards per carry.
And it appears Darrell Henderson is on track to return from injury. Henderson had an MCL injury in week 16 and had 688 yards on the ground prior to the injury.
The Rams averaged 27.1 points per game in the regular season, up to 28 in the playoffs. Their defense allowed 21.9 points, shrinking that number to 18 in three postseason games.
It's a sign the big names on the Rams defense are coming together. With Aaron Donald, Jalen Ramsey, and Miller leading the way, it could be tough sledding for Burrow and the Bengals despite a pass defense ranked only a few spots better than the Bengals. The Rams have been getting healthier on that side of the ball, too, but do have a stout run defense (ranked 6th). The depth they've needed throughout the season will only serve them better on Sunday.
Does it mean a cakewalk for the Rams? Not in the slightest. The Bengals have proved time, and time again, in the last three games no one should count them out. If they can hang around, or even race out to two-score lead, they have proven to be a team that excels at in-game adjustments. For that reason, they are my pick to win Super Bowl LVI: Cincinnati Bengals 24 Los Angeles Rams 21
photo credit: Wikimedia Commons
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