Rams vs. Bengals Super Bowl LVI Picks: Lock Bet of the Big Game (Archive)
The Cincinnati Bengals are through to Super Bowl 56 against the NFL odds, setting up a final showdown against the Los Angeles Rams who started the season as the vogue NFL pick. Predictably, for this matchup of the unexpected versus the somewhat expected, oddsmakers are skewing the markets in favor of the latter.
The Rams opened as the 4-point home chalk across multiple sports betting platforms, but the point spread has moved by half a point at certain shops. Those include BetOnline (visit our BetOnline Review) and Bovada (visit our Bovada Review), to name a couple. The total opened on 50 points but dropped down to 48.5 points soon after markets went to press.
Los Angeles Rams vs. Cincinnati Bengals
Sunday, February 13, 2022 – 06:30 PM EST at SoFi Stadium
Cincinnati Bengals Win AFC Title
The Bengals delivered the biggest upset of the playoffs, defeating the Kansas City Chiefs in overtime at Arrowhead to win the AFC title and book their place in Super Bowl 56. It’s safe to say, few would have predicted that the Bengals would make such a deep run in the postseason, let alone upset the Chiefs in the conference final on their turf as the 7-point road underdogs across the best online sportsbooks.
Cincinnati got off to a terrible start. The Chiefs rolled to a 21-3 lead before the Bengals finally struck a chord in the first half and narrowed the gap to 21-10. The second half was all Cincinnati, though, as they rallied to erase an 18-point deficit and tied the game.
On both sides of the ball, the Bengals raised their level of play. The defense held the Chiefs’ offense scoreless, while second-year quarterback Joe Burrow and the offense capitalized on the Chiefs’ miscues that came in droves.
Mahomes was 18 of 21 for 220 in the first half, but in the second half, the superstar quarterback threw 2 interceptions and went 8 of 18 for 55 yards. Burrow, who was 10 of 18 for 101 yards in the first half, finished with 23 of 38 for 250 yards.
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Los Angeles Rams Win NFC Title
The Rams survived a slow start and edged the San Francisco 49ers 20-17 in the NFC Championship game, coming through for their backers with the straight-up victory. Where the Rams came up short was in point-spread betting markets, although they missed the cover as the 3.5 point home chalk by the narrowest of margins.
Matthew Stafford’s postseason is littered with milestones. He won his first-ever playoff game this season, he reached his first NFC Championship game in his 13-year career in the league, and he won the NFC title to punch his ticket to the big game for the first time.
The 33-year-old signal-caller hasn’t been perfect in the playoffs, but he has played better than most predicted he would – considering his lack of experience and success.
Stafford has thrown for 905 yards, 6 touchdowns, and one interception through three games. He’s led the Rams to wins over the Arizona Cardinals, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and the Niners.
In Los Angeles’ most recent appearance, Stafford orchestrated the come-from-behind victory by erasing a 10-point deficit in the fourth quarter to tie the game. Then, in the final minutes, Stafford set the Rams up for the go-ahead field goal and Aaron Donald and the defense finished the job by denying the Niners on their final drive.
NFL Predictions and Picks
At no point in the season did anyone genuinely anticipate that the Bengals and the Rams would collide in Super Bowl 56. Well, the Rams might have been on the radar, but not the Bengals. And yet, here we are with an unexpected Super Bowl matchup on the cards.
Los Angeles is the consensus NFL pick with at least 64% of bettors backing the Rams to come through with the victory on the money line. However, Cincinnati is the consensus NFL pick with at least 54% of bets grabbing the points with the Bengals to cover.
The Rams are the vogue pick to win because they are the team with the established head coach, the veteran quarterback, and the star-studded cast of X-factor players. However, there is something about the plucky Bengals and Joe Burrow that has many believing these unlikely underdogs and upstarts from the AFC North can actually pull it off.
It might not be the lock bet of the game, but it’s certainly worth locking down the Bengals as the 4.5-point road underdogs to cover if not win outright.
NFL Pick: Bengals +4.5 (-110) at BetOnline (visit our BetOnline Review)
*The line and/or odds on picks in this article might have moved since the content was commissioned. For updated line movements, visit BMR’s free betting odds product.