Super Bowl LVI preview: Los Angeles Rams vs. Cincinnati Bengals

The Los Angeles Rams will take on the Cincinnati Bengals 3:30 p.m. today at SoFi Stadium for Super Bowl LVI. DANIEL PEARSON, Photo Editor

On their home turf, the Los Angeles Rams will take on the Cincinnati Bengals today at 3:30 p.m. for Super Bowl LVI. The event site, SoFi Stadium, is prepared to hold up to 70,000 fans, but the game will also be live-streamed on NFL, NBC and Peacock.

Coming into the Super Bowl matchup, the Bengals beat the Kansas City Chiefs 27-24 on the road in overtime after coming back from a 21-3 deficit at halftime. Bengals rookie kicker Evan McPherson sealed the game with a 31-yard field goal. 

Meanwhile, the Rams battled through a low-scoring game at home and won 20-17 against the San Francisco 49ers.The game ended on a wild Jimmy Garoppolo pass picked off by Rams linebacker Travin Howard.

The last time the Bengals came close to a Super Bowl appearance was 1988, and the team hadn’t won a playoff game since 1990 — until now. Conversely, the Rams made their last Super Bowl appearance just three years ago, but they fell to the Patriots 13-3.

The Rams will need to focus their offense on establishing the ground game with running backs Cam Akers and Sony Michel to complement the prolific passing attack led by Matthew Stafford. On defense, the Rams defensive line will need to take advantage of pressuring Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow , whose offensive line gave up 55 sacks in the regular season, No. 29 in the NFL.

Sean McVay, head coach of the Los Angeles Rams said that he looks forward to seeing his players perform at an elite level given their focused mindset headed into the game.

“Here’s what I’d say: the players, the stillness, the calmness that they have, the confidence in their preparation, I feel really good,” McVay said. “I’m excited to be able to go watch these guys compete to the best of their ability. As coaches, we’ll try to be poised, make good decisions and that’s all we’re going to do. And we’re going to enjoy the moment.”

For the Bengals, their offensive line does not hold up well against the pass rush, so they must find a way to rely on running back Joe Mixon to keep the offense on the field and extend drives. The Bengals defense will need to limit Rams’ wide receiver Cooper Kupp’s ability to make plays down the field.

According to Zac Taylor, head coach of the Cincinnati Bengals, these past two weeks have served as an opportunity for the team  to recharge and prepare for the Super Bowl.

“They look fresh and fast, and that’s what you can hope for in mid-February,” Taylor said. “This time off over these last two weeks has helped them, and I feel really good about where we’re at for Sunday.”

Out of 76 analysts at ESPN, 43 of them picked the Los Angeles Rams to win the Super Bowl, the most frequent score prediction being 27-24. Additionally, 56 analysts predict that the game will be decided by one possession.

In terms of predictions for Super Bowl MVP, Burrow garnered the most selections — 30 votes — followed by Stafford with 14 votes and Kupp and Donald with 13 votes each.

The Super Bowl halftime show will feature several iconic artists: Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige and Kendrick Lamar.

For students looking to watch the game on campus, there will be a Super Bowl watch party today at 3:30 p.m. in the Student Union.

Follow The Panther on social media and at www.thepanthernewspaper.org for updates on Super Bowl LVI coverage.