rams vs. Bengals is not the Super Bowl 56 matchup that football fans predicted in the 2021 preseason.
In fact, Los Angeles had the sixth-best odds of winning the Super Bowl (+1,500), according to FanDuel Sportsbook odds heading into Week 1, while Cincinnati was a true long shot at +12,000, ahead only of Los Angeles. Jaguars, Lions and Texans (who make up the top three picks in the 2022 NFL Draft order).
Fast-forward five months and a Joe Burrow-led crusade established the Bengals as a true championship contender after defeating the top two seeds in the AFC. And according to two of Sporting News’ NFL insiders, it will end with Burrow and Co. hoisting the Lombardi Trophy in 2022.
Los Angeles (12-5) opened as a 3.5-point favorite to beat Cincinnati (10-7). That line has continued to shift toward the Rams, resting at -4 as of Monday, as the “home team” awaits the underdog challenger at SoFi Stadium. The SN staff also sees an offensive showcase that exceeds Las Vegas’s point total (49), with four of the six writers projecting the excess.
Below are all of our expert picks for Super Bowl 56, complete with explanations for each pick and score predictions for Rams vs. Bengals.
MORE SUPER BOWL PICKS: Against the Spread | direct predictions
Super Bowl 2022 Predictions: Expert Picks for Rams vs. Bengals
- Location: The Angels
- Start time: 6:30 p.m. ET
- TV: NBC
- Point difference: Rams -4
- Below: 49
- money line: Rams -194, Bengals +162
Vinnie Iyer: The Bengals are in Super Bowl 56 because of their good fortune landing Joe Burrow No. 1 overall in the NFL draft. His outstanding second season and exceeded expectations and beyond his excellent passing, his leadership, intelligence and great playmaker have a great energetic effect on the entire team.
Cincinnati’s youth will serve well to bring down the Rams, who will make a few more mistakes with Matthew Stafford as Burrow’s No. 9 opposite. The Bengals defense gets key takeaways to support Burrow as Burrow makes the decisive plays against the Rams. d late.
Prediction: Bengals 30, Rams 27
Bill bender: The Bengals can pull off this upset, especially if the defense holds up. Cincinnati allowed only one play of 20 yards or more against the Chiefs, and if the Rams can’t find some success on the ground, the pass rush will begin. Joe Burrow, meanwhile, must continue to play error-free football against the Rams’ pass rush, which will be problematic in the middle with Aaron Donald. Which team wins the ground battle? Even if they are modest numbers, it matters in a game of this magnitude.
Burrow will offer a glimpse of the future with Ja’Marr Chase, and the Bengals will lead at halftime.
That’s when Matthew Stafford, who is completing 72% of his passes in the postseason, will have his moment. Cooper Kupp and Odell Beckham Jr. continue to stress the Bengals’ secondary, and Stafford throws a TD to each in the second half. The Bengals have a last-chance series, but the Rams find the stoppage in the clutch in another three-point game to cap off a memorable postseason.
Prediction: Rams 27, Bengals 24
Matt Lutovsky: The Bengals have a “Team of Destiny” feel, but it’s hard to block their one glaring weakness: the offensive line. They were able to overcome nine sacks in the divisional round against Tennessee, then handled pressure from Kansas City with relative ease in the AFC Championship game. The Rams, who finished third in the league with 50 QB sacks this year, will be their toughest test yet.
With Aaron Donald and company constantly in Joe Burrow’s face, the Bengals’ talented trio of WRs will have a harder time ripping off big plays. Cincinnati could certainly get another win with well-timed displays and Joe Mixon’s tough running, but LA should be able to move the ball a little easier with their own corps of star receivers and more creative plays.
As is often the case, turnovers will be key. If Matthew Stafford can avoid the big mistake in the biggest game of his life, the Rams should be able to hold off the Bengals long enough to win their second Super Bowl title.
Prediction: Rams 24, Bengals 20
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Joe Rivera: The Bengals have done almost the impossible to get to this point: They eliminated the No. 1 seed in the AFC, beat Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs IN Kansas City and overcame some serious problems on the offensive line to reach their first Super Bowl in more than three decades. That clichéd movie career comes to an end in Hollywood.
While SN’s Vinnie Iyer labels the Rams’ defensive line against the OL Bengals a myth, I don’t see it that way: If Aaron Donald, Von Miller and Leonard Floyd and the rest of the Rams D can put together a disruptive second half as they did against the 49ers (7 points allowed in the second half), then Burrow may have another hill to climb, similar to the Tennessee game. The difference: Stafford and the Los Angeles offense have more than enough firepower to capitalize on that kind of defensive dominance, even if Stafford throws out a few “WTF?” balls like he has at different points this offseason.
I don’t want to take away from what the Cincinnati Cinderfellas have done in the playoffs, but a lot had to go their way for them to get to this point. The clock will strike midnight in Super Bowl 56, and Matthew Stafford will break the glass slipper to get his first ring in his first Super Bowl appearance.
Prediction: Rams 30, Bengals 21
Jacob Camenker: Look, the Bengals have been a good story and it seems very likely that Joe Burrow will win a Super Bowl at some point in the future. It’s not coming this year.
The Bengals just don’t mesh well with the Rams. Los Angeles has one of the most fearsome pass rushes in the league, spearheaded by Aaron Donald, Von Miller and Leonard Floyd. Cincinnati’s offensive line allowed Burrow to be sacked 51 times during the regular season and another 12 times in the playoffs, so he’ll be under a lot of pressure.
Cincinnati should still move the ball enough to keep this distance, but ultimately the Rams will make enough defensive plays to get the win. Matthew Stafford and the offense will have to start a little quicker than they did against the 49ers, but Sean McVay should find a way to open up Cooper Kupp and Odell Beckham Jr. often enough to win.
Prediction: Rams 26, Bengals 21
MORE: The biggest shots to reach the Super Bowl in NFL history
Eduardo Sutelan: The legend of Joe Burrow continues to grow. In his second season in the NFL, he has led the Bengals from a four-win team to a Super Bowl team, now with a chance to take home the franchise’s first title. But to complete the miraculous season, he will have to overcome a team that has been built with one goal in mind: to win it all.
The clear mismatch in this game is the Rams’ defensive line versus the Bengals’ offensive line. Aaron Donald, Von Miller and Ogbonnia Okoronkwo make up the most formidable pass rush Cincinnati has faced this postseason, and Burrow won’t have as easy of a quick exit for Ja’Marr Chase with Jalen Ramsey likely in the top corner. And the Rams have one of the best passing games in the league, having finished second in the league in total yards behind Cooper Kupp’s historic season and Odell Beckham Jr.’s resurgence.
But the Bengals have more weapons than Chase and seem better suited to cover the Rams’ passing game than vice versa. Cincinnati allowed the 15th-fewest passing yards to wide receivers this season, and has held Tyreek Hill below 80 yards in both games they’ve played against the Chiefs. The Rams, on the other hand, have allowed the fourth-most yards to receivers this season, and will face perhaps the deepest group of receivers in the NFL with Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd behind Chase. That’s not to mention Joe Mixon in the backfield, who has had a bigger impact in the passing game lately and has shown the ability to break up big runs.
The Rams take a first-half lead over Cincinnati, but falter in the second half as Boyd and Chase catch touchdowns to deliver the Bengals’ first Super Bowl title.
Prediction: Bengals 31, Rams 24
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Eddie is an Australian news reporter with over 9 years in the industry and has published on Forbes and tech crunch.