Who has edge? Rams’ ‘D’ fearsome, but Cincy has plenty of firepower
LOS ANGELES
The Los Angeles Rams’ starstudded roster is a big reason they’re favored entering Super Bowl LVI Sunday but the Cincinnati Bengals have a well-rounded team as well. Here’s a look at who has the edge in each area entering the championship game:
QUARTERBACKS
You can only go so far in the NFL with average quarterback play, and the Rams and Bengals have two of the best in the league with Matthew Stafford and Joe Burrow. Burrow has led Cincinnati with poise and moxie you don’t often see from a player in just his second year. Stafford this season has erased the one major blemish on his otherwise impressive career: a lack of playoff success. Both teams have good reason to be confident in their signal-callers but there’s just something about Burrow right now where you can’t count him out in the games that matter most.
Edge: Bengals
RUNNING BACKS
The question here is whether you’d rather have depth or the single-most talented player. Cam Akers has provided one of the feelgood stories of the postseason, returning from an Achilles injury in less than six months. The Rams activated Darrell Henderson from injured reserve and along with
Sony Michel, that trio will give Los Angeles a number of options. Joe Mixon, though, is one of the best running backs in the NFL. While he might not break loose against a talented Rams defensive line, his pass-catching ability could be the X-factor.
Edge: Bengals
WIDE RECEIVERS/TIGHT ENDS
There will be no shortage of talented pass-catchers at SoFi Stadium. On one end, you have Rams receiver Cooper Kupp — the NFL Offensive Player of the Year — and Odell Beckham Jr., who has revived his career after signing with Los Angeles. On the other end, you have Offensive Rookie of the Year Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd. Chase and Higgins both surpassed 1,000 receiving yards in the regular season, while Boyd finished with a more-thanrespectable 828 yards. The Rams placed tight end Tyler Higbee, who ranks second in catches, on injured reserve, a big loss for a team that already lost Robert Woods earlier in the season. Meanwhile, Bengals tight end C.J. Uzomah is questionable to play with a knee injury.
Edge: Even
OFFENSIVE LINE
Maybe the most impressive aspect of Burrow’s run this season is that he’s done it with a bottom-five offensive line. During the regular season, the Bengals ranked 30th in ESPN’s pass block win rate, defined as how often linemen can hold blocks for at least 2.5 seconds. Cincinnati ranked 10th in run block win rate, however. The Rams ranked first and 12th in pass block win rate and run block win rate, respectively.
Edge: Rams
DEFENSIVE LINE
Aaron Donald might not have won this year’s Defensive Player of the Year award but he’s still widely recognized as the league’s top defender. The Bengals could have to double-team — and sometimes triple-team — Donald but he’s proven to be a game-wrecker even when all the focus is on him. Los Angeles recently activated linemen Sebastian Joseph Day from IR; Day had three sacks in seven games before sustaining a pectoral injury.
Cincinnati edge rushers Trey Hendrickson and Sam Hubbard are an underrated pass-rushing duo, combining for 18.5 sacks in the regular season.
Edge: Rams
LINEBACKERS
The rich got richer when the Rams traded a pair of Day 2 draft picks for Von Miller, acquiring a former Super Bowl MVP and future Hall of Famer. Miller has shown flashes of his vintage days since joining Los Angeles and with Leonard Floyd (9.5 sacks), the Rams have a fearsome pair of bookend linebackers. Inside linebackers Logan Wilson (100 tackles) and Germaine Pratt (91 tackles) aren’t as heralded but have provided steady contributions in the middle of the Bengals defense.
Edge: Rams
DEFENSIVE BACKS
Jalen Ramsey is the headliner for the Rams and it will be interesting to see how much he shadows Chase. Darious Williams is a fine No. 2 but could have his hands full with Boyd and Higgins. The addition of Eric Weddle, who was all but retired a month ago, has steadied the safety depth for Los Angeles,
which is expected to have Taylor Rapp back in the lineup after missing multiple games with a concussion.
Mike Hilton and Eli Apple are a solid tandem but the strength of the Bengals secondary lies with their safeties. Jessie Bates is arguably the league’s best safety and he and Vonn Bell should expect to have an active day against the Rams’ passing game.
Edge: Rams
SPECIAL TEAMS
The postseason run for Bengals rookie Evan McPherson draws strong similarities to that of the Baltimore Ravens’ Justin Tucker in his first season, with a series of clutch kicks and an affable personality to match. Matt Gay can handle the spotlight, too, and his 94.1 field-goal percentage during the regular season ranks second only to Tucker. The special teams units for the Bengals and Rams rank fourth and fifth, respectively, according to Football Outsiders’ efficiency metrics.
Edge:
Even
COACHING
It’s funny how much can change in a year. After a rough start to his tenure in Cincinnati, there were rumblings that Zac Taylor could be on the hot seat. Now, his standing with the Bengals is unquestioned. Rams coach Sean McVay has talked at length about what he has learned from his first run to the Super Bowl, when he was thoroughly outwitted by Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots. The experience in these moments, where a key adjustment can be the difference, can’t be overstated.
Edge: Rams
PREDICTION
The Bengals have captivated the country with their Cinderella story, going from the No. 1 overall pick to the championship game in two years. But the Rams aren’t without their own storylines, from Stafford finally getting over the playoff hump, McVay getting redemption for coming up short in 2019 and even vindication for Beckham with his new team. Not to mention Los Angeles playing the Super Bowl in their own stadium. Ultimately, the Rams’ defensive front has its way with the Bengals’ offensive line and the Rams end a storybook season on their own turf. Rams 25, Bengals 20 // Super Bowl MVP: Matthew Stafford
Daniel Oyefusi: DanielOyefusi
Who: Los Angeles Rams (15-5) vs. Cincinnati Bengals (13-7) at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.
When/TV: Betting line: SportsBook.
Sunday, 6:30 p.m.; NBC.
Last game: 27-24, OT.
Rams by 4, according to FanDuel
Against the spread: Series record:
Last meeting: in London.
Rams offense: scoring (t-7).
Rams defense: scoring (15).
Bengals offense: scoring (7).
Bengals defense: scoring (17).
Rams 8-9; Bengals 10-7.
Bengals lead 8-6.
Rams beat Bengals 24-10 on Oct. 27, 2019,
Rams beat 49ers 20-17; Bengals beat Chiefs
overall (9), rush (25), pass (5),
overall (17), rush (6), pass (22),
overall (13), rush (23), pass (7),
overall (18), rush (5), pass (26),
Turnover differential:
Rams player to watch: DT Aaron Donald. The game’s most dominant defensive player over the past eight seasons gets another chance to shine on the big stage. Donald has 1 sacks and 16 pressures in three games this postseason but was unable to make a big impact in his first Super Bowl appearance three years ago. The 2021 unanimous All-Pro should have a better opportunity against an overmatched Bengals interior offensive line.
Rams plus-2, Bengals 0.
Bengals player to watch: QB Joe Burrow. Burrow has gone from No. 1 overall pick to starting QB in the Super Bowl faster than anyone else by getting here in his second season. Burrow’s presence has transformed a struggling franchise. Burrow has 15 TD passes and just two INTs in his past seven games, while averaging 331.1 yards passing per game.
Key matchup: Rams CB Jalen Ramsey vs. Bengals WR Ja’Marr Chase. The NFL’s top cornerback faces off against the most productive rookie receiver since the merger in a matchup that could determine the winner. Ramsey made his third All-Pro team after intercepting four passes and having 16 passes defensed. Chase’s 1,455 yards receiving in the regular season were the most for a rookie in the Super Bowl era and his seven receptions of at least 50 yards in the regular season and playoffs are tied for second most for any player in the past 30 seasons.
Key injuries: Rams TE Tyler Higbee (knee) and T Joseph Noteboom (chest) were placed on IR and will miss the game. … Los Angeles RB Darrell Henderson (knee) and DL Sebastian Joseph-Day (pectoral) were activated off IR and are expected to play. …Bengals TE C.J. Uzomah said he expects to play after leaving the AFC title game early with a knee injury. He is listed as questionable.
Series notes: The teams met once under the current coaches with the Rams winning 24-10 at Wembley
Stadium in London in 2019. … Cincinnati coach Zac Taylor spent two seasons on Sean McVay’s staff on the Rams. … Rams LT Andrew Whitworth spent his first 11 seasons with the Bengals and his 168 games for Cincinnati are 14th most in franchise history.
Stats and stuff: The Rams are 1-3 all-time in Super Bowls, while the Bengals have lost their only two trips. … This is the youngest coaching matchup in Super Bowl history and the first time both coaches were younger than 40. … Burrow and Rams QB Matthew Stafford will be the 10th and 11th QBs to start a Super Bowl after being drafted first overall, Stafford in 2009, Burrow in 2020. … This is the second matchup of two former No. 1 pick quarterbacks, with Peyton Manning beating Cam Newton six years ago in the other. … The winner of this game will be the seventh No. 1 pick QB to start for the winning team in the Super Bowl. … Stafford’s 49,995 yards passing and 323 TD passes are the most for a QB making his first Super Bowl appearance. Stafford needs 209 yards passing to become the sixth player to reach 6,000 in a single season. … Rams WR Cooper Kupp has 2,333 yards receiving in the regular season and playoffs, the most in a season in NFL history. … Kupp’s 20 TD catches are tied for fourth most behind only Randy Moss (24 in 2007) and Jerry Rice (22 in 1987 and 1989). Kupp’s 13 100-yard receiving games are the most in a season. … The Rams were third in the NFL with 50 sacks in the regular season. … The Bengals are the fourth team in NFL history to make it to the Super Bowl a year after winning four or fewer games. The 1999 Rams are the only one of those teams to win it. … Burrow is the first QB to make the Super Bowl after getting sacked the most times in the regular season. His 63 sacks in the regular season and playoffs are tied for eighth most in a season in NFL history. … Bengals rookie K Evan McPherson has gone 4 for 4 on field goals in all three playoff games, tying Adam Vinatieri for the most career playoff games with at least four made field goals. McPherson’s 12 makes so far this postseason are two shy of Vinatieri’s single-year record set in the 2006 season. … The Bengals scored in the final two minutes of the first half in all three playoff games, giving them a league-high 74 points in those situations this season — fourth best since 2000. …Cincinnati was penalized the second fewest times (72) for the fewest yards (620) in the regular season.
— ASSOCIATED PRESS