Super Bowl LVI: Rams vs Bengals | What time, dates, predictions, tickets, halftime show... | 9 February
Super Bowl LVI Rams vs Bengals latest news
Second Super Bowl win for the Rams
Much has been said about Super Bowl LVI being a chance for the first Lombardi Trophy for Cincinnati or a chance for the second for the Rams. One interesting side note to this stat is that while it will indeed be a second for the Rams (should they win), it will be the first ever for the city of Los Angeles. The Rams won their first and only Super Bowl in the city of St Louis.
So it is worth keeping in mind, this Super Bowl, no matter who wins, it will be the very first time that they have won it.
Stafford vs Burrow
The two quarterbacks have more in common than you might think, even if their paths here couldn't look more different.
Want a body like Aaron Donald? Eat... popcorn?
LA Rams’ Aaron Donald follows a high-carb diet to stay lean and is one of the fittest in the league
LA Rams player Aaron Donald, who has won the defensive player of the year three consecutive times, follows a diet that consists of 20 cups of popcorn.
One of the NFL’s strongest and leanest players, Aaron Donald, relies heavily on a carb- and fat-heavy diet, and is one of the fittest players in the league.
The LA Rams defensive player defies the norm of the high-protein diets that most other NFL players rely on.
The 30-year-old, 280-lb defensive lineman has helped lead the Rams to their second Super Bowl in three seasons and has made the Pro Bowl in all of his eight NFL seasons.
Not only is Donald’s effectiveness in run games clear and consistent, but his force on the field continues to power through, making him the only active player in the NFL now to have won the ‘Defensive Player of The Year’ award three times.
Los Angeles is still a Raiders town
Perhaps the greatest Ram who ever donned the uniform, Eric Dickerson laid it out plainly. The Rams still have a ways to go to win back the LA fanbase after a 22 year absence. Winning Super Bowl LVI would go a long way to restoring some of that goodwill.
Cincinnati have a pretty big fan
As they prepare for the biggest game of the season the Bengals have most definitely won over a host of fans along the way. Now it seems like amongst them, there are players as well, with the Bucs' star tight end potentially interested in switching camps.
Could the Bucs' Rob Gronkowski play for the Bengals?
If there is one name that's been consistently mentioned alongside Tom Brady's, it's that of his partner in crime, tight end Rob Gronkowski. The 'Gronk' as he is known to many fans has played in the NFL for 11 seasons and for each and every one of those campaigns, the legendary quarterback was his play maker. With Brady recently announcing his retirement, the focus immediately shifted to the star pass catcher as everyone seemingly wondered whether or not he would join Brady in saying goodbye or would he give it one more go in the league.
LSU billboard on the 405 freeway
LSU football has a long history of billboards in LA (or as they say in Louisiana, the other LA). Starting with the famous onepeat sign in 2006, the school has taken hold of the idea and run with it.
The Super Bowl is full of SEC players and no school has more of them on these two teams than LSU. With Thaddeus Moss currently injured after spending most of the season on the Bengals' practice squad, LSU will be tied with Florida for the most former players in Super Bowl LVI at five active players apiece.
Nothing doing for LSU's football program, though. Dressed or not, they are counting Moss and claiming the rights to the title NFLSU.
Stafford vs Burrow
The Rams quarterback may have years and yards on Burrow, but both Stafford and the Bengals quarterback are in uncharted territory at this Super Bowl.
The two quarterbacks for this Sunday's Super Bowl could not be more different as far as their age, history, and style. But they do have a few things in common, and one is that this is their first Super Bowl.
Comparing the quarterbacks
Joe Burrow and Matt Stafford were both top draft picks, selected by teams in search of a savior. But their paths to get to the Super Bowl have looked quite different.
Burrow made it to the Super Bowl faster than any other number one pick quarterback (in just his second season).
Stafford, on the other hand, took longer to get to the Super Bowl than any other top pick quarterback (after 13 seasons).
Bengals Joe Burrow invites his former coach to Super Bowl LVI
Joe Burrow continues to turn heads both on and off the field for all the right reasons. In his latest move, he invited his former coach to the Super Bowl.
Athens High School head football coach Nathan White was sitting at home last Sunday when his phone started to ring. On the screen he could see a familiar name and a smile came to his face. Calling him was a former player of his, Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow. The Bengals newest star had a question for his former coach, 'Did he want to go to the Super Bowl?'
Andrew Whitworth will be the oldest offensive lineman to start a Super Bowl
Big Whit has spent the majority of his career as a Cincinnati Bengal before moving to the LA Rams this season. Both of these teams getting to the Super Bowl in what could be the final season in the NFL for the 40 year old tackle is every bit as amazing as any story that has been told about this year's big game.
"I couldn't be more ecstatic," says Whitworth, "getting here and realizing what two teams are in it, I'm so happy."
Now onto more fun details on some players, here is something you might not know: Aaron Donald's diet.
Best of SBLV commercials
On another note, here's an entertaining mix of some of the best commercials of Super Bowl LV so you can later compare with some of the best of this year's!
The Bengals will be wearing a uniform that’s a fan favorite, contrary to what superstitions might recommend.
Why do they get to wear the dark color for the game?
Cheer for Cincinnati with a former Bengal!
If you’re a Bengals fan and are in the LA area but can’t afford/refuse to pay for exorbitantly-priced tickets to SoFi Stadium, there’s a Super Bowl party you might want to join instead.
Former Bengals nose tackle Domata Peko will host a Sunday get-together at a Hollywood restaurant that he owns, called Trocadero on Sunset. It’s free to join the event, and fans have a chance to win some Bengals Super Bowl goodies.
Peko will also be on hand to sign autographs.
Here’s another Rams Super Bowl record…
In the Los Angeles Rams' last Super Bowl appearance, Johnny Hekker set the record for the longest punt in a championship game. That punt from the four-time Pro Bowler was considered one of the highlights of the game, which they lost to the New England Patriots 13-3.
Hekker is already being considered as one of the greatest punters in the history of the NFL.
Super Bowl LVI national anthem: who is Mickey Guyton?
Country singer Mickey Guyton, a recipient of multiple Grammy Award nominations, will sing the US national anthem “The Star Spangled Banner” at SoFi Stadium on Sunday, before the Los Angeles Rams take on the Cincinnati Bengals in Super Bowl LVI.
Guyton’s selection for the traditional pre-game performance was confirmed at the start of February, the singer tweeting in the wake of the news: “I am shook, I am grateful, I am praise dancing”.
Here's more on the singer.
Super Bowl LVI half-time performers
It’s going to be a rap and hip-hop halftime show in this year’s Super Bowl. Dr. Dre, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, Snoop Dogg and Mary J. Blige will be headlining the performance that is highly anticipated by millions around the world.
The artists have a combined 43 Grammys and 19 No.1 Billboard albums to their name, and this is the first time that so many Grammy winners are performing together at half-time.
The five artists all have ties to LA, with this being the first time in nearly 30 years that the Super Bowl has been played in the city.
A Rams Super Bowl record
The Super Bowl is a great chance to go down in NFL history books, and several milestones are sure to take place on Sunday. (At the very least, the first Super Bowl championship for the Bengals, or the first for the Rams as Los Angeles.)
The Rams, however, are already part of a high-profile record- that of the lowest-scoring Super Bowl game in league history. In their last championship outing on Feb. 3, 2019, they succumbed to the New England Patriots, 13-3, for a combined 16 points.
Bengals legends that left their mark on the Queen City
The Cincinnati Bengals are going to their third Super Bowl in franchise history. Joe Burrow and Joe Mixon are on the verge of making history in the Queen City, but before they go on the list of all-time-great Bengals we have to pay homage to those that came before them.
Here are some of the legendary players from Cincinnati.
The 'cool' factor
There’s an ongoing debate about the Bengals quarterback being given the nickname “Joe Cool”. Los Angeles Rams wide receiver and fellow LSU alum Odell Beckham Jr. has called Burrow the definition of cool, while fans of Joe Montana insist the four-time Super Bowl champion is the only one who deserves the moniker.
Whichever side of this discussion you are on, it’s hard to deny that Joe Burrow certainly looks the part.
Cost of Super Bowl ads at record high
The Super Bowl has been the most watched television broadcast of the year in the US for many years, and advertisers need to pay millions for a chance to capture that massive audience.
Super Bowl games comprise 28 of the 30 most-watched broadcasts of all time. The remaining two are the M*A*S*H finale way back in 1983, and even further back, the Muhammad Ali vs. Leon Spinks championship boxing match in 1978.
With such a tremendous amount of viewers, the price for advertisements in the game has skyrocketed, as the networks hosting the game can afford to charge a premium.
Here's the full story.
Who are the legendary players in Rams history?
The Los Angeles Rams have had a successful and decorated run since the franchise began in 1936. They won two NFL championships before the 1970 AFL-NFL merger, and one Super Bowl. An excellent track record is proof that the team has produced an abundance of outstanding players.
So far, the organization boasts 21 Hall of Famers- 19 of them players. With the way the Rams have been playing and delivering excellent performances, this list is likely to keep growing.
Here are some of the athletes with standout achievements in Rams history.
Both the Los Angeles Rams and the Cincinnati Bengals are looking to end a very long championship drought. Here are some factors that may determine which team will eventually get to raise the Lombardi trophy. (Aside from the Burrow-Stafford matchup, of course.)
The Rams' last Super Bowl win
The Los Angeles Rams have the home-field advantage when they face off with the Cincinnati Bengals for Super Bowl LVI, and they are likely to have more fans to cheer them on as they gun for a Lombardi trophy that they haven’t hoisted in more than two decades.
The Rams last won the Super Bowl in the 1999 season, when they defeated the Tennessee Titans 23-16. It was the organization’s first Super Bowl victory.
Read the full story.
The Bengals are in town.
The "home" team has arrived at the city of the "away" team, but they are unfazed. AFC champions the Cincinnati Bengals may be more than 2,000 miles away from home, but they come to LA after a pep rally at Paul Brown Stadium where 30,000 fans came out to support them.
Now back to Burrow and his bomb duo with Ja'Marr Chase.
The superstar QB has helped the Bengals get back on track to the Super Bowl, after what felt like a decade for Cincinnati, and Chase has certainly made it more feasible for Burrow.
Now let's take you a little closer to Sunday's show by giving you a full look at the Rams' starters and players by position.
Why do the Rams have a statistical advantage over the Bengals?
Now let's get back on track with some actual statistics.
When you look on paper, everybody knows the Rams have an advantage in almost every part of the game against Cincinnati.
Their defense is anchored by Aaron Donald and Jalen Ramsey, who are considered to be two of the best players of their generation. And obviously Matthew Stafford has just transformed Los Angeles in every way, including setting career highs in completion percentage (67.2) and passing touchdowns (41) this year, only behind Tom Brady who threw more TDs (43). That's without even mentioning how Stafford has balanced the passing game. (We'll get into that later).
Oh, and needless to say, the Rams are playing at their "home stadium" too.
Ja’Marr Chase Trio
Now over to Chase, who played with Burrow at LSU when they won the national championship in 2019, and was the fifth-overall pick in the 2021 draft. Chase broke in with the Bengals with 81 receptions for a franchise-record 1,455 yards and 13 touchdowns in his first season as a pro!
The 21-year-old leads an oddly strong wide receiver trio that has helped substitute for that offensive line we mentioned below. Himself, Tee Higgins (74 receptions for 1,091 yards and six touchdowns), and Tyler Boyd (67-828, 5) have become the next big thing for Burrow and the Bengals .
So while avoiding Rams’ Aaron Donald and Von Miller will be tough, this trio is equipped to create offense and handle big plays under pressure.
Bobcats. Burrow. Bengals.
With all this underdog talk, what are the Bengals’ chances to make it past a determined Rams team?
We all already know that the Bengals keep finding a way to do the baffling, and they obviously don’t plan to slow down at the big Bowl.
I mean this team impeded Patrick Mahomes after he torched them in the first half of the AFC Championship game, and they’ve won a game where Burrow was sacked nine times! Even with their offensive line being quite shaky, Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase, and the rest of the talented receivers on the team have been able to overcome the burden their offensive line allows.
Why are we rooting for the Bengals?
If you’ve watched a good amount of American sports movies like I have, you would know that underdogs are usually favored to win. Not necessarily because they are better, but because they come unexpectedly with a great fight, making it both tough and surprising for the other famously-strong team, putting on a more exciting show overall.
Now here’s an even more fascinating detail: the psychology associated with rooting for an underdog is a phenomenon known as schadenfreude. Get ready to be mind-blown…
Schadenfreude basically means that we, humans, unconsciously experience pleasure at the misfortune of others…. Yes, true according to science.
So if we are not strongly biased about one team or the other, we end up rooting more for the underdogs over the “winning” team because we may be unconsciously envious that they are always doing well.
In other words, we subconsciously root for the underdog because we relate to them in life. And that is exactly why most times, we won’t necessarily feel bad (even if we’re upset) about the winning team losing to the underdog.
I hope you’re as mind boggled as I am. Moving on…
Cincinnati Bengals with Joe Brr, Joe Franchise, Joe Cool
The Bengals, on the other hand, are the underdogs who are attracting a lot of attention and mystery to what they will do this Sunday. Their main quarterback, Joe Burrow, is making his very first appearance at a Super Bowl, and he’s just been thriving this season alongside the superstar wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase.
The 25-year-old is playing just in his second NFL season, and is about to become the fourth quarterback to wina consensus college national title as a quarterback and then proceed to play in a Super Bowl, joining Cam Newton, Joe Namath, and Joe Montana.
Los Angeles Rams going after a Super Bowl win
It is no surprise that the Los Angeles Rams are “going” to another Super Bowl. I mean the Californian team has had success getting past the NFC Championship in the last couple of decades, even if they’ve come up short in their last three Super Bowls. They’re still a team you’d expect to play at the Super Bowl. Los Angeles was last seen in 2019 for Super Bowl LIII.
Vince Lombardi Trophy fun facts
Speaking of the Vince Lombardi trophy, have you wondered why the famous Super Bowl Trophy is named after Vince Lombardi? And how much do you really know about it?
Well for starters, the Lombardi trophy, which is a visual treat, was designed on a napkin in 1966 for the 1967 Super Bowl by Oscar Reidner, the vice president of design at Tiffany & Co. The image depicted a football in a kicking position on a three concave sided stand, and that is what we still see to this day, one made each year to be kept by the champions.
Since then, Tiffany & Co., which is really mostly known for luxury jewelry for women, has been responsible for the trophy and it takes them about four months to design it for each NFL season.
Here is another random fun fact to add about Tiffany & Co, Beyoncé and JAY-Z are now part of the company.
Super Bowl LVI build-up: welcome
Hello and welcome to our latest live blog, with all the latest Super Bowl LVI build-up, just for you. We are now only 4 days away from kickoff at SoFi Stadium, where the Rams will go for another Super Bowl championship against a Bengals team that has never lifted the Vince Lombardi trophy.