After 21 weeks of grueling football (and one very pointless Pro Bowl display), the dust has cleared and it’s the Bengals and Rams doing battle in Los Angeles for the right to lift the Lombardi Trophy. While it wasn’t the matchup we may have expected at the start of the season, tonight’s game promises to be a thrilling one.
With just hours until kickoff, here’s how each member of the Strike 7 Sports team sees tonight’s title fight playing out.
Derrick Branch
It’s no secret that the Bengals’ offensive line is average at best. However, that has not stopped Joe Burrow from performing at the highest level during the postseason. The former number one overall pick overcame being sacked nine times to knock off the Titans in the AFC divisional round and rallied from an 11-point deficit to defeat the Chiefs for the right to play in the Super Bowl. Expect that trend to continue this Sunday against the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl LVl. The Bengals are confident that they can match up with any opponent no matter what the circumstances are in that given situation. The Rams keep it close, but the Bengals will prevail and capture their first Super Bowl title in franchise history. Bengals 28, Rams 24.
Brian Bada
It is finally time for the Super Bowl. The two best teams have a chance at the ultimate prize. The key to this matchup will be which quarterback will play better. Both Matthew Stafford and Joe Burrow have been playing really well in the postseason. Both quarterbacks are also really good against the blitz so both defenses will have to have a solid blitz plan. The Rams have the better overall team and will be playing in their home stadium so they will have a slight advantage. In the end, the Rams win a close game by scoring a late touchdown. Rams 31, Bengals 28.
Liaudwin Seaberry Jr.
With the Bengals and Rams both possessing high-powered offenses behind their star quarterbacks, I think this game comes down to who gets the most stops on the defensive end. Both defenses have shown the ability to step up to the challenge at times (the Rams against the Buccaneers and the Bengals against Kansas City). With Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase spearheading the Cincinnati passing attack, along with a dose of the star back Joe Mixon, the Bengals find a way to overcome a very talented Rams defense led by Aaron Donald and emerge victoriously. While Rams first-year starter Matthew Stafford reaches the Super Bowl for the first time, his quest to gain the title falls just short. Bengals 27, Rams 24.
Will Fowler
For the first time in the history of the Super Bowl, the two starting quarterbacks enter the big game with career losing records in the regular season. But despite that, the quarterback matchup might be the best part about the whole thing. Joe Burrow, the sophomore who’s rebounded flawlessly from a gruesome leg injury a season ago, and Matthew Stafford, who has cast away all the ‘postseason disappointment’ demons from his time in Detroit. But who do you trust more? For me, it’s Burrow – he’s a cold-blooded signal-caller who has shown numerous times how effective he can be late in games, he’s been brilliant in the postseason, and he flexes a group of playmakers that is unrivaled by almost every other team in the NFL. The Rams may be better defensively (and specifically the pass rush), but Burrow has shown his ability to neutralize elite defenses already this postseason. He slew the AFC’s top seed. Then, he knocked off the Super Bowl favorites. He’ll enter tonight with his sights set on the Lombardi Trophy, but he’ll finish the day with two: the championship trophy and the Super Bowl MVP award. Bengals 23, Rams 21.
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