The Super Bowl is almost here! While we're all blissfully ignoring the fact that it's the last meaningful football game until September, we're over-analyzing each and every angle of the game, and where it can be won or lost. Obviously I'm excited for the game, the halftime performance, betting the over on the National Anthem length, starting my diet on Monday, and the movie trailers we're expecting, but I'm actually equally excited for the game itself this time around. This is the first time in a while that I'm going to be truly happy with whatever team emerges victorious, and I wasn't sure why exactly. That's why we're here. Regardless of which team's owner gets handed the Lombardi late Sunday night, it'll be a first-time win or a first-in-a-long-time win, with legacies rewritten on the spot. This week's question of the week will try to answer whose legacies are the most impacted with a win, and what it may mean for the NFL as a whole. So, I must ask:
What does a Super Bowl victory mean for the Rams and Bengals?
If the Rams Win... Should the Rams outpace the Bengals, it'll be the second consecutive season that a team wins the Super Bowl in its home stadium. It'll be the first time the franchise took home the Lombardi since The Greatest Show on Turf eclipsed the Titans by one yard (literally, one yard) in the 90s, and this Rams' offense is just as talented. It'll be the ultimate vindication for Odell Beckham, who, after forcing his way out of Cleveland's mess of an offense, has shown flashes of his former Giant glory. The superstar wideout doesn't need a Super Bowl MVP to cement his status, but getting one may drive Giants fans to the drunk tank for months.
The Matthew Stafford trade loomed large over the season, with many saying the assets the Rams gave up to secure the Lions QB would only be worth it if they won the Super Bowl. Well, they're here, and I'd think that's plenty. Even if they don't win this game, Sean McVay has still made 2 of the last four Super Bowls, and proved that it really was Jared Goff's lack of improvement that held this Rams team back. Stafford and his sidekick Cooper Kupp (sideKupp?) have carried this Rams offense all year, with their supporting cast playing musical chairs throughout the season. Their connection has one more hurdle to climb, and if they do so, Kupp will cap off the greatest season a wide receiver has ever had. Stafford, on the other hand, with the stats he's accumulated in Detroit and his near-perfect performance in the playoffs this year, will become a shoe-in Hall of Famer with a win. He'd have the stats that Eli and Ben amassed thanks to their organization's blind faith in their deteriorating play, and if he gets the Super Bowl ring that guys like Matt Ryan and Phil Rivers never got, there's no way they'll keep Matt Stafford out of Canton.
The Ram that could really set themselves apart the most, however, is on the defensive side of the ball. And it's not Aaron Donald. Though Donald's performance in the Super Bowl could cement him as the greatest defensive player of his (or any) era, there are a few who believe that already, and he's showing no signs that he's going to stop churning out All-Pro or DPOY seasons. Donald's legacy could use a Super Bowl, but anyone with at least one good eye can see that he's changed the NFL forever. The player I'm talking about is another one of the Rams' splashy in-season acquisitions. And it's not Eric Weddle, whose couch-to-championship story will be the stuff of legend (and probably a Happy Madison Netflix movie) forever if the Rams win.
Have you figured it out yet? I'm talking about Von Miller. Already a Super Bowl MVP, Miller's going to be in his third Super Bowl this Sunday, and going 2-for-3 with two MVPs all of a sudden places him right up there with his teammate (Aaron Donald) as one of the greatest defensive players ever. There's no other way to describe the only defensive player to win the Super Bowl MVP twice (and, not that it matters as much, but he'll do it on two different teams). There's a long list of things that have to break Miller's way to get there, but they did the last time he was in the Super Bowl, so why not?
If the Bengals win... Remember when people rushed to fire off those jokes about coaches getting hired because they went on a double date with Sean McVay? Can we just acknowledge that most of those hires actually worked? Matt LaFleur has won more games in his first three years than anyone (including McVay), and now Zac Taylor, who many thought wouldn't even make it to his third season, has his team in the Super Bowl. Taylor's taken some heat over his time, but man has he silenced those doubters. Turning his offense of young potential into a team playing well beyond its years, and keeping Joe Mixon happy in a pass-first offense, he's got the Bengals set up for long-term success. The unlikelihood of this Bengals run has meant that none of their prominent coaches have been poached by teams with other openings, so there's a big chance that the team's core, most of whom are on rookie deals, and it's coaching staff are together for at least the next few years.
And underrated burial of a story has been the "The Bengals should have taken a lineman instead of Jamarr Chase" take being ice-age level cold. Yes, the Bengals' offensive line has struggled, but Chase, who needs to be the first non-QB in what feels like a generation to win Offensive Rookie of the Year, brought a sense of comfort to Burrow that was palpable as the two strung together big play after big play, and the team strung together big win after big win. Sure, the jury's still out on Penei Sewell, but I don't think he brings the Bengals' offensive line along as quickly, and it was clear Burrow wanted Chase. It's amazing how easy you make things for your team by drafting a transcendent talent at WR that your QB advocates for.
Still, there's only one player that this Bengals discussion could be about, and it's Joe Burrow. Already establishing himself as one of the very best QBs in the league, if Burrow is able to hoist a Lombardi, in his second season, barely a year removed from ACL surgery, it shatters any ceiling his career could have had. A win on Sunday, and Burrow is immediately placed in the Top 5 QBs in the league, and may be the new front-runner in the race to unseat Tom Brady as the GOAT. He'd have a long way to go, but as I mentioned, the pieces are there, and will be for some time. It's already been proven that no moment is too big for him, and he actually already has the leg-up on Brady, having secured a NCAA Championship in that magical run with LSU. The Bengals have that "nothing to lose" feel to them, and I'd expect the same brand of fearless play they've shown since late November once the ball's kicked off. All of that is paced by Burrow's effortless moxie, and the message it sends to the rest of the team that they belong among the NFL's elite.
Alright, time for a nice little surprise: here's my prediction for the game!
There's been much made about the pass-rush of the Rams and their obvious mis-match against the Bengals' offensive line. I'd expect to see some delayed runs, or maybe just a lot of running, early from the Bengals to make Donald and Miller think twice before pinning their ears back. What deserves more attention, is the advantage the Bengals' pass-rush also will look to exploit. The Rams' offense is a dynamic play waiting to happen, but it's nearly always initiated by Stafford dropping back to past. Sam Hubbard and Trey Hendrickson (perhaps the most underrated FA signing of all time?) can make things really difficult for Matt Stafford, and the Rams don't appear to have an answer in their run game with Cam Akers dealing with nagging injuries. Whatever the under is in the first quarter, I may end up taking it to see if it takes a full quarter for these two to figure one another out.
Jamarr Chase is likely going to see a lot of Jalen Ramsey, which means this will be the biggest test the rookie has faced thus far. Burrow and Chase have show they're not afraid of finding one another in any coverage, but they certainly won't need to force things. Tee Higgins has had a quietly great playoff run, and could be huge here if he can consistently get open. On the other side, I don't know what the Bengals will have planned to stop Cooper Kupp and Odell Beckham, the best WR tandem they've faced all postseason, but it's tough to not believe in this unit after what they've shown throughout the Yoffs. Kupp is going to get open, but can they prevent the game-breaking the Rams have been able to find time and time again this season?
I don't think so. McVay's experience in the Super Bowl, and the embarrassment of his 6-point, no-touchdown performance against the Patriots should be fueling his gameplan going into this. The Rams are one of those teams that I've watched all year, and I'm not convinced they've played their best game. If they're able to do that, I'm not sure the Bengals keep it within the game's current 4.5-point spread. Still, there's no slouch on the other sideline, and Joe Burrow's already got that "we'll lose over my dead body" vibe each time he's taken the field this playoffs. Can I see a future in which the Bengals win a close game, with Evan McPherson's epic rookie year capping off with a walk-off field goal in the Super Bowl? Sure, but something keeps bringing me back to the Rams. The Stafford trade, that defense, and McVay with something to prove may be too much to overcome for these young Bengals to overcome, especially in the Rams' oasis/home stadium.
FINAL PREDICTION: Rams 30, Bengals 27
SUPER BOWL MVP: Matthew Stafford
Enjoy the game, everyone!
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