NFL
By: Christopher Jordan
Super Bowl LVI
Rams @ Bengals
Sunday, 6:30 p.m., NBC
What a time to be alive because the Super Bowl is only a few days away. The playoffs have been one of the greatest playoffs in NFL history. As a sports fan, all you ask for is great competition and players leaving everything on the field. Coming into the playoffs I thought we knew the exact teams that would represent the NFC and AFC for the Super Bowl. However, we got something totally different, and it was great for the National Football League because we got a matchup that no one would have predicted.
The Los Angeles Rams and the Cincinnati Bengals are the two teams standing and both teams will be playing for a Super Bowl and a chance to be remembered forever. The Rams came into the season under the most pressure as a franchise because they went all-in on acquiring Matthew Stafford from the Detroit Lions. The Rams traded Jared Goff, two first-round picks, and a third-round pick. The Rams felt like Goff wasn’t good enough to get them over the hump to win a Super Bowl.
Head Coach, Sean Mc McVay knew that his opportunity to win a championship now rather than later. Throughout the season the Rams had their ups and downs during the season. It seems like they were a team that could contend and at times it seemed like they wouldn’t be a serious contender for the Super Bowl. The LA Rams knew they needed more if they seriously wanted to win a championship. They would go on to add Von Miller and Odell Beckham Jr. Both Miller and Beckham were in situations where winning was not an option. Beckham’s narrative in Cleveland was that he was over the hill and a bad teammate to be around and winning was not a priority for him.
Since the arrival of Miller and Beckham, they have been key contributors for the Rams. If the Rams win this Sunday, the narrative about Odell Beckham. Von Miller was already a champion before playing a game with the Rams. In 2015, Miller won a Super Bowl with the Broncos, and he was a Super Bowl MVP. Miller just keeps adding more to his resume.
The Rams have one of the best defenses in all the National Football League because of Aaron Donald who is one of the greatest Defensive tackles of all time. Aaron Donald has been waiting to get back into the situation since the loss to the Patriots in Super Bowl LIII. If the Los Angeles Rams want to win the Super Bowl. Donald must have an effective game and get some pressure on Joe Burrow.
On the other hand, the Cincinnati Bengals have been a team that no one thought would be in this situation coming into the season. The Bengals are a team that has put the entire NFL on notice, and they keep beating the odds and proving the doubters wrong. The Cincinnati Bengals franchise was a joke for quite some time and their last Super Bowl appearance was 1988. Joe Burrow has changed the culture of the Bengals franchise only in his second year in the NFL.
What Burrow is doing is just remarkable because the Bengals are in the Super Bowl. That’s not the best roster when you look at it on paper. Burrow leads the league in being sacked because Cincinnati has one of the worst offensive lines in all the National Football League. That was the reason why he got injured last season because of the offensive line. To be in a situation where they have a chance to win a Super Bowl and be a franchise that had one of the fastest turnarounds in NFL history.
Another reason why Cincinnati is in the Super Bowl is because of their sensational rookie wide receiver Ja ’Marr Chase who has established himself as one of the best receivers in just his first year in the NFL. His play will be pivotal this Sunday if the Bengals pull off the upset against the Rams. Chase will have his hands full because Rams cornerback Jalen Ramsey will be on him for most of the game. The Bengals will need a great game for their defense, and they will have to establish pressure on Matthew Stafford and force him to turn the ball over and make life uncomfortable for him and that Rams offense. The team that limits turnovers and they make the big play that will dictate the game in a way will most likely win this game.
The biggest impact on the game will be the play for the quarterback position between Joe Burrow and Matthew Stafford. Both Burrow and Stafford are players that have beaten the odds and their journeys to the Super Bowl are remarkable. This Sunday we will get fireworks for both quarterbacks in this ball game.
Will the Bengals pull off the upset over the Rams or will the Rams handle their business?
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