It’s time for some Super Bowl talk! The Super Bowl LVI will take place in Los Angeles in a matchup between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Los Angeles Rams.
While this is a “neutral” site game, it’s basically going to be a home game for the Rams. The Rams don’t really have that many fans in Los Angeles, however, and that could be the difference-maker.
For our best bets, I wanted to talk about who will disappoint and who will overachieve in this year’s Super Bowl. So let’s waste no time.
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Rams’ Fanbase
The Rams fanbase isn’t large locally. The Rams moved from St. Louis to Los Angeles recently and fans haven’t really traveled for Rams games. Now, we might see fans from St. Louis or other parts of the United States, but those who believe this is a “home” game for the Rams are flat out wrong.
Rams fans will disappoint. In most home games for the Rams, it’s been quiet. The seats haven’t all been filled and when they took on the 49ers, San Francisco’s fan base was much louder and filled up more of the stadium.
The Rams will have their normal facilities and normal routines. They’ll even have their families to be within Los Angeles. That’s always helpful. However, the fanbase for the Rams will disappoint and we’ll see more of a split than the Rams fans taking over.
Bengals Offensive Line
If there’s anything that’s gone wrong with the Bengals, it’s the offensive line. The offensive line looked fine against the Chiefs last week, despite Burrow having to break multiple sacks. However, the Rams’ defensive line and front seven are the best in the NFL and that’s going to be a real challenge for the Bengals and their offensive line.
The Bengals can only win if they protect Joe Burrow.
To be fair, the Bengals faced 10 teams with an above-average defensive line and went 8-2 in the regular season. But if this game is anything like the Titans game, and I think it will be, Burrow is going to get sacked plenty of times in this game.
That doesn’t mean the Bengals won’t win this game, but overall, the Bengals’ offensive line is going to disappoint.
Bengals’ Defense
The Bengals defense has never been elite this season. But after a huge second half and overtime against the Kansas City Chiefs, the Bengals’ defense is here to play. The edge rushers like Sam Hubbard and Trey Hendrickson have got the job done and the secondary actually covered the Chiefs very well in the second half.
Yes, the Bengals dropped back eight in coverage, but even with Mahomes having time in the pocket, he couldn’t find anywhere to go with the ball. That’ll continue with Stafford, who also makes a ton of mistakes and doesn’t have the mobility that Mahomes has.
Therefore, I like the under in this game for our NFL picks and think both defenses should play lights out in the Super Bowl.