By Vikram Bansal
Talon Staff
What a crazy NFL season. Tom Brady has finally retired from the NFL, and in his place emerged fantastic quarterbacks in every nook and cranny of the league. In a year full of twists and turns, it’s only natural that we get two QBs who have never been to a Super Bowl facing off in the beautiful heart of Los Angeles.
With only a matter of hours before gametime, let’s break down the contestants and how they got here.
Cincinnati Bengals
The Bengals are a fascinating story and are the product of a dream rebuild that NFL franchises would sell their souls to have.
Two years ago, the “Bungles” were the worst team in football and had the #1 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. With that pick, selected Louisiana State University quarterback Joe Burrow. Burrow had exploded in the 2019 college football season with one of the best statistical seasons in NCAA football history.
There were, however, questions about the Bengals supporting cast, especially the offensive line which showed throughout his rookie season in 2020-2021. Then, catastrophe struck: Burrow suffered a torn ACL and MCL and a partially torn PCL and meniscus on a brutal hit against the Washington Football Team (yes, that’s their name). The Bengals struggled mightily that year after Burrow went down, and questions surrounded his health and whether or not he would be the same player he used to be.
Many thought that the Bengals should address the offensive line in the upcoming draft, but instead they drafted LSU wide receiver, Ja’Marr Chase with the #5 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. The selection initially received backlash from NFL commentators, but it turned out to be the right choice.
The duo, who led LSU to a national championship in 2019, turned into one of the best quarterback-receiver combos in the league this year, compiling 1,400 receiving yards and 13 receiving touchdowns. Indeed, in two seasons at LSU and one in Cincinnati, Burrow and Chase have combined for 206 catches for 3,801 yards and 37 touchdowns, according to ESPN.com.
With the addition of Chase, the Bengals were able to win the AFC North for the first time since 2015 and clinched the #4 seed, but the fun didn’t stop there.
At home in the wildcard game, the Bengals won their first playoff game in 31 years by beating the Las Vegas Raiders in a 26-19 thriller. They followed that with a 19-16 upset win over the top-seeded Tennessee Titans with a 52-yard walk-off field goal by rookie kicker Evan McPherson.
Most pundits thought their run would end against the Kansas City Chiefs and QB Patrick Mahomes, but the Bengals didn’t fold.
Down 21-3, they tied the largest postseason comeback in the history of the AFC title game en route to a 27-24 win in overtime. The win added an exclamation point to an already intense year for the once downtrodden Bengals, and it’s been a joy to see Burrow turn one of the most inept organizations in the NFL into a powerhouse juggernaut.
New England Patriot fans can only hope that Mac Jones can work the same magic in his second year in the league.
Los Angeles Rams
The Rams went all-in this season.
That was the message the league got from this blockbuster deal: the Rams traded two first-round picks (2022 and 2023 selections), a third-round pick (2022), and their starting quarterback Jared Goff in exchange for Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford, a controversial figure amongst NFL fans.
Some believed Stafford was an elite player stifled by Detroit’s perpetual ineptitude, but others thought he was merely a stat compiler who couldn’t win games of importance, hence the nickname “Stat Padford”. And Rams supporters could not forget that Goff had already led them to one Super Bowl in 2018—a 13-3 loss to Brady, running back Sony Michel and the Patriots.
Stafford would prove these doubters wrong, however, as he went on to not only have his best statistical season but would also lead the Rams to a 12-win season and the NFC West crown.
After 12 seasons with the loss-prone Lions, Stafford got his first elusive playoff win against division rival Arizona Cardinals in a blowout 34-11 win. In the divisional round, he rallied the Rams out to a 27-3 hole against the defending Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers, led by you know who. Although the Rams nearly fumbled the game away, Stafford hit a clutch 44-yard bomb to the NFL “Triple-King” (leader in receptions, yards and touchdowns) Cooper Kupp, setting up a 30-27 win as time expired.
Enter the NFC Championship game against division rival San Francisco 49ers and former Patriot backup QB Jimmy Garoppolo. The Rams hadn’t beaten the 49ers since 2018 and had lost their last six head-to-head matchups, including a blown 17-point lead to end the season and let the 49ers into the playoffs. But this time, the Rams got the best of their nemesis when it mattered the most in a 10-point-comeback win ending in a 20-17 final.
The Rams came into this season as one of the Super Bowl favorites, and although their midseason skid was worrisome, they have made it to the dance and will be playing on home soil in the newly-built SoFi Stadium of Los Angeles. Everything about this squad is electric: whether it be from Matthew Stafford’s cannon of a right arm, the explosiveness of receivers Kupp and mid-season acquisition Odell Beckham Jr., or the elite playmaking of their defense, the Rams are a dangerous team capable of utter domination in the NFL.
The Bengals have a massive chip on their shoulders with nothing to prove as they enter the Super Bowl tomorrow, while the Rams have the potential to meet their preseason championship expectations. But none of that matters tomorrow: both of them are here, and they have one chance at this. One chance for championship glory or bittersweet defeat. One chance to establish new narratives or push old ones.
My Pick
If this NFL season has taught me anything, it’s that the NFL is anything but predictable.
As of last night, Los Angeles is a four-point favorite and the over-under for total points scored is 48.5 in the latest Super Bowl LVI odds from Caesars Sportsbook, according to CBSSPORTS.com. But against my better judgment, I’m taking Joe Burrow and the Bengals. I just think that the Bengals are the hottest team in football and have the better quarterback. Joe Burrow will put on a clinic on Sunday, passing for over 300 yards and taking home both the Lombardi Trophy and Super Bowl MVP. Look out for wide receiver Tyler Boyd, the third receiver on Cincinnati’s depth chart. Boyd serves as the Bengals “slot” receiver which essentially means he lines up in between the most-wideout receiver and the offensive tackle at the end of the offensive line. Typically, these receivers operate in the short-to-intermediate passing game, and Boyd is one of the best at doing just that. Furthermore, the short-to-intermediate passing game is an excellent counter to a strong pass-rush: the Rams, led by Aaron Donald and mid-season acquisition Von Miller, have one of the best pass-rushes in the league. However, their secondary is severely depleted despite having All-Pro defender Jalen Ramsey, and can be prone to lapses in pass-coverage. Couple this with Boyd’s ability in his own right and you could potentially have a huge performance on the world’s biggest stage. Plus, most of the attention will already be on Ja’Marr Chase and second-year wideout Tee Higgins (a 1,000-yard-receiver in his own right), so Boyd will be facing the third-best defender on an already weakened secondary.
Go Bengals!