Bengals vs. Rams: Which “Great Story” Will Win The Big Game?
It has to be the unlikeliest Big Game match-up we have seen in quiet some time.
When the season started, nobody thought the Cincinnati Bengals and LA Rams would be the final two teams standing at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles. But here we are, and there is a lot on the line besides just winning a championship. This game will change the legacies of the winner, and re-set the narrative for many of the key faces in this year’s Big Game.
For the Cincinnati Bengals, they come into this Super Bowl as a -4.5 point underdog, and, of course, are the “America’s Darling” pick to win simply because the Bengals have always been the little engine that couldn’t. The last time the Bengals were in this spot, Ronald Reagan was about to hand the Presidential baton to George H.W. Bush; Rain Man would go on to win Best Picture, and Chicago’s “Look Away” was the top song on the charts in 1989.
Heck, Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow wasn’t even born yet.
Before this season, the Bengals hadn’t won a playoff game since 1991. Now they are on the verge of becoming something very special. Why? Burrow is only in his second year in the NFL. He was sixth in the NFL in passing yards this year (4,611) threw 34 touchdowns to 14 picks, and was in the minds of many a MVP candidate not named Aaron Rodgers or Tom Brady.
Ja’Marr Chase, the Bengals dynamic wide receiver, and Joe Mixon, its dynamic running back are not going anywhere either. And lets not forget they have a 38-year old head coach in Zac Taylor who is only going to grow with this team.
Should the Bengals win the Big Game on Sunday night, it could be the first step for a new dynasty in the NFL. They will automatically join the Kansas City Chiefs in the conversation as teams that could take the decade of the 2020s over. Joe Burrow is already drawing Tom Brady comparisons for his ‘cool-under-pressure’ attitude in big spots. A win on Sunday would put both Burrow, Chase and Taylor on a Hall of Fame track almost instantly.
A loss, and the Bengals will be that nice story; a young team that has a chance to do some special things in the future. In short a title will change everything.
Speaking of narratives, the Los Angeles Rams are not short on great storylines.
Head Coach Sean McVay had this franchise in this very spot three years ago when he was a dotting 33-year old who was wide-eyed at the prospect of meeting his counterpart in Super Bowl LIII, Bill Belichick. The contrasting styles of old and new played out as many expected with the Patriots winning 13-3 over McVay’s Rams. Now he is back, with a different quarterback, and aside from a few names here and there, a different ball club than what he had three seasons ago. McVay is not the rookie coach anymore, but the guy who has been here before.
A Super Bowl win is what McVay needs to begin his own Hall of Fame discussion, and he is only 36-years old. Should McVay’s Rams win on Sunday, he will tie Mike Tomlin as the youngest head coach to win a Super Bowl. His counterpart in this game, Zac Taylor, 38, would be one of the youngest if the Bengals should win.
McVay would also like to join the likes of Bill Cowher, Andy Reid and Bill Parcells to get to and win a Super Bowl with a different quarterback than what he had before. Only Joe Gibbs has won more World titles with different QBs (3).
That takes us to Matthew Stafford. The former Detroit Lions quarterback is living his dream this season. He was traded exactly one year ago from the Lions to the Rams. In all the years of misfortunate and losing, Stafford never complained when was in Detroit. Now he gets his chance to win it all with a great team. If he should lead the Rams to a championship, the discussion on Stafford changes from a good quarterback on bad teams, to a really good quarterback who finally got his shot and won it. He would basically become the modern day version of Raiders Hall of Famer Jim Plunkett.
Odell Beckham Jr. would also change the narrative of his star-crossed career. Considered a “locker room problem” in New York and Cleveland, Beckham has been on his best behavior in LA, and is considered by his teammates as a quiet leader. A big effort by him in this game will change his narrative, and will certainly up his marketability in free agency.
Then there are the guys on Hall of Fame tracks like wide reciever Cooper Kupp, and defensive ends Von Miller and Aaron Donald. A title for Donald and Kupp will almost certainly cement their legacies. A second ring for Miller, who won a title with the Broncos six years ago, will guarantee him a gold jacket.
So who is going to win?
PREDICTION:
This is such a tough one to call. The Bengals have been the team on a meteoric rise all season. Their last second postseason victories in Tennessee and Kansas City have been something of legend, but this game is being played in the Rams home stadium. There is going to be a little more pressure on LA to get the job done after spending so much in free agency and trades to get here. Expect both Stafford and Burrow to play great, but Stafford and Kupp, who has 386 yards receiving in this playoffs, will hook up once more for a big, deciding last minute play. PICK: RAMS 27 – BENGALS 24. MVP: Cooper Kupp.
