On Sunday, Feb. 13, the biggest game of the football season will take place between the Los Angeles Rams and Cincinnati Bengals when Super Bowl LVI kicks off.
Moreso than any other year, both teams have had to scratch and claw their way to the finish line, with an extra game to play this season, more than any other year in football history. Yet, here they are, the Rams and Bengals dueling to the finish.
Like any battle, there’s a favorite (Rams +4.5) and an underdog (Bengals +170), but observers know the matchup goes much deeper than that. At all times during the snap, there will be 11 players giving their all to best the 11 on the other side of the ball, wearing colors representing the opponent.
It’s during these individual battles that the game is ultimately won. So just who has the positional advantages ahead of Super Bowl LVI?
Who’s the best QB in Super Bowl LVI? – Joe Burrow or Matthew Stafford?
Both quarterbacks are former No. 1 overall picks. This matchup represents just the second time in NFL history that two top overall selections will duel against one another in a Super Bowl.
For Matthew Stafford, bringing the Rams to Super Bowl LVI in his first season with the team after spending 12 seasons with the Lions, having never made it further than the Wild Card, this is an incredible accomplishment.
If you asked the Bengals, there’s not another quarterback in the entire league they would pick over Joe Burrow. Two seasons ago, the Bengals earned the top pick from years of being defunct. Add Burrow and a few other parts, and suddenly he’s the hotshot QB everyone wants to play with.
Pitting Burrow against Stafford, give me the young buck 10/10 for his leadership abilities, confidence and will to win.
- Advantage: Joe Burrow – Bengals
Title of best Super Bowl LVI RB goes to Cincinnati Bengals
There’s a reason the Rams scrambled to trade for Sony Michel after Cam Akers tore his Achilles prior to the start of the season. They knew their depth left much to be desired.
Whereas on the opposite end of the spectrum is Joe Mixon on the Bengals, who is a 6-foot-1, 220 lb wrecking ball at running back. What the Rams attempt to do with three different RBs, Mixon gets done all by himself.
- Advantage: Joe Mixon – Bengals
Better Super Bowl LVI pass catchers – Rams or Bengals?
This is perhaps the trickiest pick on the list. If you asked the Bengals fans, they’d furiously argue their receiving corps is the best, receiving merit to be considered the top group in the NFL.
Meanwhile, the other team that wears stripes has a fairly unique unit as well. Cooper Kupp won the NFL’s receiving triple crown, which is to say he led the league in all three major receiving categories.
Ja’Marr Chase was amazing in what’s likely to culminate in a Rookie of the Year award and already should be in the conversation for best wide receivers in the game today.
Chase, Tee Higgins, and Tyler Boyd all have 1,000-yard potential and C.J. Uzomah is a threat to score as well.
Odell Beckham Jr. has begun rejuvenating his career and has been a great fit next to Cupp. Van Jefferson and Tyler Higbee are great secondary options.
So, who’s better? Had Robert Woods not injured his knee, the advantage would go to the Rams, but the Bengals are simply deeper at this stage of the season.
- Advantage: Bengals
Which Super Bowl LVI team has the advantage in the OL trenches?
Perhaps one of the biggest storylines coming into the matchup centers around whether the Bengals’ offensive line can hold up against a top-notch pass-rush unit such as the Rams. The Bengals allowed the third-most sacks in the NFL this season.
The Rams allowed the seventh-fewest rushing yards in the league this season. Both teams prefer to drop back and pass, but the Rams have a stronger foundation, led by 40-year old Andrew Whitworth who still manages to get the job done and then some.
Cincinnati’s offensive line has done a good enough job to bring them to the biggest stage, but they’ve yet to face Aaron Donald.
- Advantage: Rams
Aaron Donald gives Rams the best pass-rusher of Super Bowl LVI
Up above we mentioned how the Bengals allowed the third-most sacks as a team. Well, the Rams sacked opponents the third-most as a team during the 2021-22 season. Here we have a strength vs an obvious weakness.
The defensive line of the Bengals cannot be overlooked, they had just eight fewer sacks than the Rams did. While they have a solid unit as a whole led by Trey Hendrickson and D.J. Reader, these are not Hall of Fame-caliber players.
Aaron Donald on the other hand is a game wrecker. Recently he spoke about the opportunity to add the one piece of hardware to his collection he doesn’t yet have – the elusive Super Bowl trophy. We’ll see if his impact is enough to change that fact after Sunday.
- Advantage: Rams
Related: NFL Top 100 Players of 2021-2022 – Micah Parsons, Cooper Kupp debut
Which Super Bowl LVI contender has the better linebacker group?
This one depends a bit on whether you group Von Miller with the pass rush or the linebackers. Since he primarily rushes the QB, we placed him with the pass rushers.
That essentially leaves Leonard Floyd against Logan Wilson, which, both players have proven to be impact players for their respective defenses.
Wilson has forced a whopping five turnovers this season and Floyd has racked up 9.5 sacks. We won’t knock the Bengals for typically having just two linebackers on the field, as the two they do employ have been effective. Both teams have very little depth at the position. If you’re watching Super Bowl LVI, chances are your focus won’t be on the two teams’ linebacker groups.
- Advantage: Bengals
Ranking the best Super Bowl LVI secondary
Jessie Bates might be one of the best players several fans have yet to hear of. He’ll get his chance to show why he’d been a Pro Bowl snub since entering the league, but he’s not Jalen Ramsey.
Ramsey is one of the best cornerbacks in football and whether he travels with Ja’Marr Chase or not won’t really matter. The Rams’ secondary as a whole is experienced, Ramsey can pick up the slack wherever he’s needed. It will be fun to see how much Burrow tests Ramsey in the biggest games of their careers.
- Advantage: Rams
Related: Predicting NFL playoff bracket and Super Bowl winner
Who has the Super Bowl LVI special teams advantage?
If you’ve been watching the 2021-22 playoffs, you’re already aware of Evan McPherson, the Bengals rookie kicker who has hit several clutch kicks this season to help keep their Super Bowl LVI dreams alive. The one known as Money Mac has yet to miss a postseason kick, but he’s also never played in a Super Bowl before when emotions and nerves are expected to be at an all-time high. But, we already know he’s just as smooth as Joe Cool in late-game situations. We’ll see if that holds true on Sunday.
All that hype is nice, but the Rams also have a pretty darn good kicker in Matt Gay who earned a Pro Bowl nod for finishing with the second-best field goal % in the NFL this past season. But it’s not just the kicker, punter Johnny Hekker is a four-time member of the All-Pro team too and can help pin the Bengals back in tough field position if given the chance.
As far as the return game, the advantage goes to the Rams again. Not only are they one of just two teams who had a punt return touchdown this season, but they also have the better punt and kick return average when compared to the Bengals.
- Advantage: Rams
- Final tally – Bengals 4, Rams 4
I swear I didn’t do that on purpose, but it shows, Super Bowl LVI might be a lot closer than some expect. Most would say, the Rams are the super team who looks better on paper, but some skills just can not be measured. In the end, that’s why they play the game.
