This Sunday, we will see the Los Angeles Rams take on the Cincinnati Bengals in Super Bowl LVI. It’s been one hell of a journey for both teams to make it to this point, so how exactly did they each get to here, and who are the key players and matchups that will decide this game?
Rams
Every spring, NFL teams gather in various cities for the NFL draft, a seven round process where they select the best players in college football to join their teams. Since the team moved back to L.A. from St. Louis in 2016, the Rams have had exactly one 1st round pick, selecting QB Jared Goff with the 1st overall pick in 2016. Every other 1st round pick has been traded away by general manager Les Snead, mortgaging the team's future in order to win now. After a disappointing rookie season for Goff, the team would hire Washington’s offensive coordinator Sean McVay to be their new head coach, where he would turn them into an offensive juggernaut. Led by Offensive Player of the Year, running back Todd Gurley, and 3-time
Defensive Player of the Year, lineman Aaron Donald, they would go on to dominate the NFC West, and reach Super Bowl LIII in 2019 to face off against Tom Brady and the New England Patriots, only to be stopped by the arthritis in Gurley’s knees, and a gameplan from Bill Belichick designed to slow down the predictable Goff and the Rams’ offense.
Following that Super Bowl season, it would take the Rams a few years to build back up to contention, going all in on their strategy of trading future draft picks for current players. In 2019, they
traded two firsts for All-Pro cornerback Jalen Ramsey, and before this season traded two firsts and Jared Goff in order to upgrade their quarterback position, acquiring Matthew Stafford from the Detroit Lions, the 1st overall pick of the 2009 draft, who had spent his entire career to that point wallowing in the misery that is Detroit football. With Stafford now at QB, McVay was now free of all the restrictions put on him by Goff’s limited abilities, and could scheme up his perfect offense.
The team would go on to have a strong season, finishing 12-5 and winning the NFC West. Fueled by an explosive passing offense driven by this year’s Offensive Player of the Year, Cooper Kupp, as well as Robert Woods, who was lost halfway through to an ACL tear, The team also signed former star receiver Odell Beckham Jr., off of waivers after he forced his way out of Cleveland with the help of his dad. Although the offense would struggle following the halfway point, the defense never waivered throughout
the season, led by 1st team All-Pros Jalen Ramsey and Aaron Donald, and the midseason trade for Super Bowl 50 MVP, linebacker Von Miller, who has added to the Rams’ already devastating pass rush.
After steamrolling past division-rival Arizona Cardinals in the 1st round, the Rams would head to Tampa Bay to take on Tom Brady and the defending Super Bowl champion Buccaneers. After building a 27-3 lead midway through the 3rd quarter, the game was seemingly in hand for Los Angeles, before Brady would storm back to tie the game with less than a minute to play. With only one timeout remaining, Stafford would hit Cooper Kupp on a beautiful deep-ball to set up the game-winning field goal as time expired. This set up a rematch with division-rival San Francisco 49ers in L.A., the third matchup between the teams this season, with San Francisco taking the first two. The 49ers, led by McVay’s former mentor from his time in Washington, Kyle Shanahan, had beaten the Rams during the previous six matchups,
and Shanahan seemed to have the upper hand against his former pupil. In what would be a bloodbath of a game, with mistakes from both teams, the Rams’ pass rush would get to Niners’ QB Jimmy Garoppolo when it mattered most, forcing a game-sealing interception with just over a minute to play, sending the Rams back to the Super Bowl for the second time in the last four years.
Bengals
Following years of disappointment and mediocrity behind QB Andy Dalton, the Bengals would hire Sean McVay’s apprentice and quarterbacks coach Zac Taylor to be their new head coach. But Taylor’s first season at the helm of the franchise would not go according to plan, as injuries to key veterans like Dalton and wide receiver A.J. Green would result in the Bengals going a measly 2-14, and earning the 1st overall pick in the 2020 draft.
Meanwhile, in the bayou of Louisiana, Joe Burrow was leading the LSU Tigers to arguably the greatest college football season of all-time, on a team which included 21 players who have been drafted
over the last two years. After not being able to climb the depth charts in a stacked Ohio State QB room, Burrow would transfer to LSU before his junior season in 2018, and in 2019 he would set the world on fire. He would win the Heisman Trophy, awarded to the best player in college football, and lead the Tigers to an undefeated national championship season that included a signature win in Alabama and an all-time stomping of Oklahoma in the playoffs.
The Bengals would go on to select Burrow with the 1st overall pick in the 2020 draft, hoping that he could be the savior that the franchise needed, but after a promising start, Burrow’s rookie season would be cut short in week 11 by a devastating knee injury, tearing his ACL, MCL, and suffering other damage to his knee. The Bengals would finish the season with only 4 wins, and land the 5th overall pick in the 2021 draft. Most people thought they would use their pick to select Oregon tackle Penei Sewell in order to bolster their offensive line and to better protect Joe Burrow, but instead they decided to take Burrow’s college teammate, wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase, adding onto their already explosive receiver group of Tyler Boyd and Tee Higgins.
Coming into the season, the Bengals were commonly picked to finish last in the NFC North, but from week 1 it was obvious that the chemistry Burrow and Chase had would translate to winning, as
they defeated the Minnesota Vikings 27-24 in overtime, behind strong performances from both Burrow and Chase. The team would go on to finish the season 10-7 and win the NFC North. Burrow would be named Comeback Player of the Year for his sophomore campaign, and Chase would put up a record setting season on his way to winning Offensive Rookie of the Year, that included an 11 catch, 266 yard, and 3 touchdown performance in the team’s signature win of the season over the Kansas City Chiefs in week 17.
The Bengals would host the Las Vegas Raiders in the Wild Card round, as they sought their first playoff win since 1990. The Burrow to Chase connection would come through once again, as Chase hauled in 9 catches for 116 yards, and the Bengals would take down the Raiders 26-19 to earn the city their first playoff victory in more than 30 years. Next they would face the top-seed Tennessee Titans led by 2020 Offensive Player of the Year Derrick Henry. Despite Burrow being sacked a record-setting 9 times, crucial interceptions by Titans QB Ryan Tannehill would ultimately be their downfall. Burrow and Chase would again come up clutch and set up rookie kicker Evan McPherson for a game winning field goal. The Bengals would then face their biggest challenge yet, taking on Patrick Mahomes and the two-time reigning AFC
champion Kansas City Chiefs on the road. The Chiefs took an early 21-3 lead, scoring touchdowns on their first three possessions before the Bengals scored a touchdown late in the half and got a crucial stop at the goal line just before the end of the 1st half to keep it at 21-10. In the second half the Bengals would switch up their defensive strategy, often dropping 8 into coverage to keep Mahomes in check, and even
getting a big-man pick off of him. With this, along with clutch play down the stretch from Burrow, the Bengals were able to outscore the Chiefs 14-3 in the second half to tie up the game and send it to overtime. An interception on an overly-ambitious pass from Mahomes would once again set up McPherson to hit a game winning field goal, this time sending Cincinnati to the Super Bowl for the first time since 1988.
Key Matchups
Ja’Marr Chase vs Jalen Ramsey:
Ever since the Jacksonville Jaguars used the 5th pick in the 2016 draft on Jalen Ramsey, he has been one of the most elite shutdown corners in the league. A three time All-Pro, including each of the last two seasons, he has been a weapon the Rams have been able to deploy to shutdown half of the field, or the other teams’ top receiver. Having Ramsey back in coverage has allowed for the Rams to deploy more defensive backs to the other side of the field or send more rushers at the quarterback, knowing they don’t have to worry about Ramsey in coverage. Despite his coverage chops, even Ramsey is not unbeatable, the most recent example being Mike Evans going off for 8 receptions for 119 yards and a touchdown in the Divisional Round, including a 55 yard bomb where he beat Ramsey for what would be the last touchdown of Tom Brady’s career.
Meanwhile, Ja’Marr Chase has been dominant against single coverage all season. Punishing defenses whenever they leave him one-on-one against a corner without bracketing a safety over the top. His ESP connection with Burrow on go routes has been a marvel to watch all season, as between Burrow’s back-shoulder throws and Chase’s jump-ball ability, they have been able to come up clutch over and over again. Chase’s ability to force the defense to double-team him in coverage has opened up the field for both Higgins and Boyd, as without an extra safety over the top of them, they can get better matchups, leading to games like Higgins’ near-200 yard performance from week 16 against the Ravens.
If Ramsey can shut down Chase, it will allow the Rams to be able to play with more defensive backs against Higgins and Boyd and send more pass rushers after Burrow, who will already be facing significant pressure from the ferocious Rams’ d-line. Without having to put a second safety back over Chase, the Rams will be able to play more single-high coverage, giving them extra people in the box to defend against the run. This will force Cincinnati to abandon the deep passing game that has gotten them to this point so far this season, and resort to trying to hit short, quick passes underneath, and more methodically move their way down the field. If Chase is able to beat Ramsey over the top and force the Rams to send extra help his way, it will open up the rest of the offense for the Bengals on top of the big plays that Chase generates. If Chase forces the Rams to bracket him with a safety, it will give Higgins and Boyd plenty of chances to create mismatches, and lighten the box, allowing the Bengals to open up more rushing lanes for Joe Mixon.
Aaron Donald and Von Miller vs Bengals O-Line:
Aaron Donald is on the short-list for the greatest defensive player of all-time. He is only one of 3 players to win the Defensive Player of the Year award 3 times, joining Lawrence Taylor and J.J. Watt, and has largely been considered the best player at his position ever since he came into the league. Von Miller, though a little past his prime of contending for Defensive Player of the Years and making first team all-pros, is no slouch of his own. Throughout the playoffs he has been able to rack up two sacks, and has gotten a hit on the QB in every game so far. Now playing with Donald, life is much easier for him, he doesn’t have to be the main one generating pressure, and can rely on Donald to create havoc in the backfield, then he can clean up the rest.
Meanwhile, the Bengals offensive line has wavered from being mediocre to downright terrible at times, and finished the season ranking 20th in PFF's offensive line rankings, which is surprisingly improved from their 30th finish in 2020's rankings. This year Joe Burrow led the NFL in sacks taken with 51, which is following him finishing in the top 10 last year despite only playing 10 games. Despite improvement this year, the unit still lacks overall, as they let up a record-setting 9 sacks in the divisional round matchup against the Titans, and although the sack numbers weren’t there against the Chiefs, Joe Burrow still had to make a few miraculous scrambles to save the game for Cincy.
If Donald and Miller are able to take advantage of this weak Cincinnati o-line and generate pressure on Burrow without needing to send extra rushers, it can be an absolute game wrecker of a weapon for the Rams. Donald has single-handedly wrecked teams' gameplans with his dominance in the past, and to give him an elite partner to work with off of the edge in Miller, makes the situation look bleak for the Bengals.
Sean McVay vs Zac Taylor:
Zac Taylor, a one time disciple of Sean McVay as his quarterbacks coach, is looking to take down his former mentor in this game. Both teams come from the same “Shanahan-style” offense, derived from wide-zone run concepts. Specifically, the two teams both use lots of 11 personnel sets with 3 wide receivers and 5-wide empty sets due to their depth at the wide receiver position. If there’s anyone in this league who knows how Zac Taylor likes to coach it's Sean McVay, and the reverse can also be said. It will be interesting to see the gameplans both coaches come up with, and the game will likely come down to how each coach can adjust to what the other is doing.
Prediction
Ultimately, I think this game is going to come down to the things I laid out in the key matchups, and in most of them I see the Rams getting the advantage. McVay is a much more experienced coach, with a better track record and history than Taylor, who was once the odds-on favorite to be the first coach fired this season, and many people think that the Bengals reached the Super Bowl despite having Taylor at the helm, rather than because of him. I think that the Rams’ pass rush will just be too much for this underwhelming Bengal o-line to handle, and Donald and Miller will be able to get after Burrow all game, as well as plugging up holes in the run game. The only matchup I am not as confident in is between Chase and Ramsey. As good as Ramsey is, there’s no one in the league who can completely shut down someone as good as Chase for a whole game. I think Chase will be able to get a couple big catches, but overall Ramsey will do enough to prevent the Rams from needing to switch up their game plan too much. In the end, I see the Rams taking this one 30-24, and being crowned Super Bowl LVI champions.
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