Super Bowl LVI Preview

Today will be the 56th time a Super Bowl has taken place. The Rams are trying to win their 2nd Super Bowl in franchise history, while the Bengals are going for their 1st. It is the most watched sports event in the United States (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast).

The Cincinnati Bengals will face the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, California today in Super Bowl LVI. This matchup was unexpected, as the Rams and Bengals were both 4 seeds coming into the playoffs.

This should play out to be a fairly even matchup between the two teams. This whole postseason has been a rollercoaster, with all top six teams getting knocked out, legendary quarterback Tom Brady retiring, and the results of the long anticipated NFL awards. As of now the Rams are the favorites, but as we all know anything can happen in the Super Bowl.

Both teams are coming into this game with high momentum, as they both won close games in their respective conference championship game.

The Rams are coming into this game as favorites and not for a bad reason at all. The Rams have one of the strongest offenses in the league known for their receiving core. Cooper Kupp, their best receiver, just won the very prestigious Offensive Player Of The Year Award. They also possess many offensive weapons such as Odell Beckham Jr., and Matthew Stafford, both new additions to the Rams. 

The Rams are very strong on the defensive side of the ball as well. Their defense is primarily led by two superstars, Jalen Ramsey and Aaron Donald. The Rams defense has been one of the main reasons that they are still competing in this postseason saving them in countless games, like the NFC Conference Championship Game. 

In this game the Rams showcased how powerful they can be in all facets of the game. The Rams are an extremely well rounded team with many players who have not had much playoff success, and many believe that this will lead to a Rams victory.

“The Rams' powerful offense and defensive anchors are going to be too much for the Bengals to stop,” Adam B.’25 said.  

The Bengals are entering the game as underdogs. They have young stars, like Joe Burrow, Ja’marr Chase, Jessie Bates, and even Joe Mixon, all of the age of twenty-five or younger. To win a Super Bowl with all of these young players would be an incredible feat for the organization, especially because they have never won a Super Bowl or made a major playoff run in a while. 

For the Bengals, their offense has been one of their strong suits all year long, and has really been defined by Joe Burrow and Ja’marr Chase.

“Joe Burrow will be too much of a force for the Rams to handle,” Alex N. ‘24 said.   

In terms of their defense the team carries a great pack of quality players led by safety Jessie Bates, who had a phenomenal game in the conference championship a couple weeks back. 

Ryan K. ‘27 had similar views on the Bengals as Alex.

“I believe that the Bengals are going to win because they just came off a big win in the Chiefs,” he said. “I don’t think that the Rams defense will be able to stop Joe Burrow and the Bengals offense, especially the Joe Burrow and Ja’marr Chase connection that dates all the way back to when they were National Champions in college at LSU.”

The Bengals are looking great after the conference championship defeating the Chiefs who were a number two seed in the playoffs this year. The Bengals won this game in overtime after a huge comeback in the second half. 

The Bengals defense played a significant role in this win, holding the Chiefs to only three points in the second half giving the Bengals the opportunity to catch up from an eleven point deficit. The Bengals look as if they are firing in all aspects right now with all the confidence in the world.

Both the Rams and Bengals seem invincible at the moment, and it is hard to believe that either team is going to dominate over the other. Both teams have proved that they can perform under pressure and will not leave anything on the field. This is going to be a very enjoyable and entertaining game and has potential to be one of the best Super Bowls that we have witnessed in a while.