The moment that NFL fans wait for all season is just around the corner as the Los Angeles Rams host the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday at SoFi Stadium in Super Bowl LVI.
The NFC champions are in the big game for the first time since the 2018 season - when they fell 13-3 to the New England Patriots - while the upstart Bengals are seeking their first title in franchise history, after upsetting the defending two-time AFC champions Kansas City Chiefs to capture their conference.
Match preview
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The road to Inglewood, California, has been filled with plenty of late drama for Sean McVay and his team, who are seeking their second Super Bowl and first in LA - their previous one coming in St Louis under Dick Vermeil when the 'Greatest Show on Turf' won a thriller at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta.
They came away with a relatively comfortable victory in the wildcard round, holding the Arizona Cardinals to under 200 yards of total offense, winning 34-11, before surviving a fourth-quarter flurry from Tom Brady and the defending champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers, thanks to a last-second field goal.
After seeing off the great Brady in what proved to be his last ever NFL outing, the Rams then overcame a 10-point deficit versus the San Francisco 49ers to capture the NFC crown.
One of the many things that this team have excelled at lately has been an ability to create turnovers, with at least one takeaway in 10 straight contests, including the playoffs, while only allowing an average of 2.5 yards per carry in the conference title game against the Niners.
Not only have they been tough to run against, but defensively they are among the best in the league when it comes to bringing the heat, ranking third in sacks this season and 11th in blitz percentage.
Sunday will be the second time in Super Bowl history where one team will be playing the big game inside their home stadium, and it comes in a place that the Rams have had their share of success this season, holding a 7-3 record at SoFi Stadium, including the playoffs.
Against their state rivals San Francisco, the NFC champs did a good job of limiting the damage that the 49ers could do in a 'bend but do not break' approach, holding running back Deebo Samuel to 26 yards on the ground, while QB Jimmy Garoppolo had a passer rating of 87.1 rating and was held to an average of 7.7 yards per attempt.
The Rams like to go to the air, with plenty of big-play receivers who can change the complexion of a game in a hurry, not to mention possessing a quarterback who was a former number one overall pick, and has shredded opposing defences that dare to bring extra pressure.
LA took a chance over the off-season when they traded quarterback Jared Goff, who had led them to a Super Bowl appearance in 2018, along with a pair of first-round draft picks (in 2022 and 2023) to the Detroit Lions, with the hope of making it back to the big game with a new pivot, and so far, that gamble has paid off handsomely.
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After decades of disappointments, going 31 years without a post-season triumph, the 2021 edition of the Bengals have provided the city with a sense of pride and hope that this team could deliver a professional championship to the state of Ohio for the first time since the Reds won the World Series in 1990.
Despite finishing dead last in the AFC North in his first two seasons in charge, racking up a mere six wins over that stretch, the front office stood behind head coach Zac Taylor, and the 38-year-old, who was previously in charge of the Rams quarterbacks before joining the Bengals, has proven that he is capable of achieving something exceptional with this squad.
You have to rewind all the way back to the 1988 season to remember the last time they were this close to a league championship, when current NFL analyst Boomer Esiason was the quarterback and colour commentator Cris Collinsworth was one of their top receivers.
Then, they saw a Super Bowl dream slip through their grasp when Joe Montana hit John Taylor for a touchdown with less than a minute to play, with the 49ers coming out on top 20-16.
This year the Bengals have brought in a Joe of their own, who has been anything but average, engineering his share of late comebacks, with the most impressive one coming in the AFC title game.
The number one pick in the 2020 NFL draft brought his team back from a 21-3 deficit at Arrowhead Stadium, winning 27-24 in overtime, tying the NFL record for the largest come-from-behind victory in a conference championship encounter - a feat that was originally set by the 2006 Indianapolis Colts.
When you face this team, you should brace yourself for an aerial assault as they are a pass-happy offense that can burn you down the field.
While they have allowed their share of sacks throughout the 2021 campaign, including nine in the divisional round versus the Tennessee Titans, they are a well-disciplined offensive unit who were the second-least penalized team on that side of the ball.
For the amount of weapons which they possess offensively, it is a bit of a surprise that they were ranked 16th in the red zone in 2021, although you do not need to be that efficient when you can punch the ball into the end zone from 30 or 40 yards away.
They may not have the big-name cornerbacks that Los Angeles possess, but Cincy have made some smart in-game adjustments throughout the playoffs, holding the Chiefs' Tyreek Hill to seven receptions in their last game, and doing a decent job at times on Patrick Mahomes, sacking the former Super Bowl MVP twice with three-man pressure.
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Team News
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The Rams have a number of injury concerns heading into Sunday's showpiece; tight end Tyler Higbee is dealing with a sprained MCL, Joe Noteboom saw limited practice time on Thursday due to a chest injury, running back Cam Akers is nursing a shoulder issue and linebacker Christian Rozeboom has a problem with his elbow.
In addition to that, Taylor Rapp has a concussion, Van Jefferson is recovering from a knee sprain and Andrew Whitworth has an injury to his quadriceps.
While he has struggled throwing the deep ball at times this season, Matthew Stafford is hard to stop when his passer rating is high, going 11-0 when it reaches at least 100.
However, when you talk about unstoppable the first Rams player that should come to mind is Cooper Kupp, who led the league in receiving in the regular season with 145 receptions for 1,947 yards and 17 touchdowns, before lighting up the 49ers in the conference championship with 11 catches for 142 yards and a pair of TDs.
Kupp may be the unquestioned go-to receiver for Stafford, but the former Lion has plenty of other weapons that he can call upon, including Odell Beckham Jr, who caught nine balls in their last encounter for 113 yards.
Kicker Matt Gay has converted the game-winning field goal in each of their previous two playoff games and Kenny Blanton chipped in with five catches for 57 yards versus San Fran.
The Bengals' offensive line will have their hands full dealing with the Rams' pressure as Aaron Donald has seven sacks in his last eight games, while Super Bowl L MVP Von Miller has seven in his previous seven games for LA.
As well as that, five-time Pro Bowler Jalen Ramsey will be counted on to provide some tight coverage in an effort to neutralize the dangerous Cincinnati receiving crew.
After tearing his ACL in his 2020 rookie season, Joe Burrow has made up for lost time in his sophomore campaign with 34 touchdown passes in the regular season and a 70.4% completion percentage, setting a new franchise record in both categories, and he has overcome adversity throughout the year, getting tackled behind the line of scrimmage 51 times in his opening 17 games of 2021 and suffering another 12 in the playoffs.
Despite seeing his share of pressure, the LSU product, who is 7-0 in the playoffs since his college days, has been able to count on a number of deep threats. This includes Ja'Marr Chase, who had 81 receptions in the regular season to go along with 13 touchdowns and has shown to be a tough man to bring down in the open field with 651 yards after the catch, plus one major score in the conference championship.
Cincinnati have several players questionable for this big game, including Drew Sample, who has seen limited time at practice because of a groin issue.
Trey Hendrickson is sick, CJ Uzomah and Josh Tupou both have knee issues, Stanley Morgan is questionable with a hamstring concern, Jackson Carman is suffering from back spasms and Wyatt Ray continues his recovery from an ankle injury.
Hendrickson had 1.5 sacks on Mahomes in their previous game, while Sam Hubbard was able to tackle the Chiefs pivot behind the line of scrimmage twice in that match.
Tee Higgins had over 1,000 yards receiving as the number two receiver for Cincy this season, and Evan McPherson - now known to fans as 'Shooter' in a reference to the Happy Gilmore movie - has been money in the bank throughout the playoffs. going a perfect 12 for 12 on field goals and kicking the game-winner in both the divisional and championship round.
Head To Head
Historically these teams have met 14 times, although in a much smaller setting than the one we will see on Sunday, with the Bengals holding an 8-6 edge.
However, the Rams came away victorious in the last meeting in 2019, by a score of 24-10.
Seeing as they are in separate conferences, these franchises do not meet often, but when they do, they usually put on quite a show. Perhaps the best encounter came in 1990 when Esiason threw for 490 yards with five receivers on both the Rams and Bengals hitting the 100-yard mark in that game and Jim Breech kicking a 44-yard field goal in overtime, helping Cincy to a 34-31 win at Anaheim Stadium.
Kupp has been a handful for opposing defences this post-season, and he was that and more in his previous matchup against Cincinnati, making seven receptions for 220 yards and a touchdown as the Rams won 24-10.
We say: Cincinnati Bengals 27-30 Los Angeles Rams
Super Bowl LVI will be a difficult game to call as both offenses are incredibly potent, with receivers who can help turn the tide for their respective teams and two kickers with ice water in their veins that are more than dependable in clutch situations.
With all of that being said, we will give the Rams a slight edge because of their home field, along with their star corners who can turn turnovers into points, and a defensive line that can put pressure on a young upstart QB, but as we have seen throughout the playoffs do not be surprised to see this game goes down to the wire.
Joel Lefevre
