The Cincinnati Bengals will be playing on Super Sunday for the first time in more than three decades. Here is why they will win their first Lombardi Trophy.
The franchise is in a position it hasn’t been since the 1988 season. That’s when the Cincinnati Bengals were under the guidance of head coach Sam Wyche, led by NFL MVP Boomer Esiason, winners of the then-AFC Central with a 12-4 record and played their home games at Riverfront Stadium.
Now it’s third-year sideline boss Zac Taylor, second-year signal-caller Joe Burrow, explosive rookie wideout Ja’Marr Chase and an emerging defensive unit. The team is on a roll and will take on the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium in Super Bowl LVI. So here is why the team will hold up the Lombardi Trophy on the evening of February 13.
5. PK Evan McPherson remains perfect in the postseason
For any number of years, teams have picked up a new kicker via free agency or secured the position with a non-drafted performer. But Bengals utilized a fifth-round pick this spring on the specialist from the University of Florida. And it has proven to be a wise investment.
Evan McPherson enjoyed a solid year, connecting on 28 of his 33 field goal attempts while missing only two of his PAT tries. That former number includes an impressive 9-of-11 from 50-plus yards. He’s hit on all 12 of his field goal attempts in the playoffs, including the game-winners at Tennessee and at Kansas City. Could he be called on again in the closing seconds?
4. Offensive line duplicates AFC title game performance
During the regular season, Cincinnati Bengals’ second-year quarterback Joe Burrow was spot on. He connected on 70.4 percent of his throws for 4,611 yards and more than twice as many touchdown passes (34) as interceptions (14). He did fumble five times and lost two of those miscues. And he certainly took a beating throughout the year as Burrow was sacked 51 times in those 16 outings.
That has continued in the postseason. After being dropped twice in the wild card win over the Las Vegas Raiders, the two-year pro was sacked nine times at Nashville. That tied an NFL postseason record. But Burrow still managed to throw for 348 yards (28-of-37) and the Bengals came away with the win.
A supposedly-improved Kansas City defense came up with just one sack of Burrow in the AFC title game. But now Cincinnati’s much-maligned offensive front will have to deal with the likes of Aaron Donald, Leonard Floyd and midseason addition Von Miller. The Rams finished with 50 sacks in 17 regular-season contests and have added five more QB traps in three postseason games. It will be interesting to see if Zac Taylor’s offensive line can hold off the Los Angeles’ pass rush, an extremely daunting task.
3. Bengals’ pass rush harasses Rams’ QB Matthew Stafford
While quarterback Joe Burrow, Cincinnati’s three-headed wide receiving monster of Ja’Marr Chase, Tyler Boyd and Tee Higgins and running back Joe Mixon have gotten plenty of attention when it comes to the team’s playoff success, the Bengals have been playing some pretty solid defense (save for one half at Arrowhead Stadium) in defeating the Raiders, Titans and Chiefs.
And the key has been a much-improved pass rush that has made life easier for the Cincinnati secondary. The 2021 free-agent addition of defensive end Trey Hendrickson has done a world of good when it comes to this side of the ball. The former Saints’ edge-rusher totaled 14 sacks in 2021. Now consider that a season ago, the Bengals finished dead last in the NFL with 17 quarterback traps in 16 games.
That number jumped to 42 sacks in 17 regular-season outings this year. Hendrickson and emerging Sam Hubbard (7.5) have combined for just over half of that total. There have been eight more sacks in the postseason, led by the duo of Hubbard (3.0) and Hendrickson (2.5).
Rams’ quarterback Matthew Stafford was sacked just 35 times in 20 games (including playoffs) this season. But that doesn’t mean the Bengals aren’t capable of applying some heat.
2. Cincinnati defense makes Rams’ offense one-dimensional
Back to Lou Anarumo’s defensive unit, which finished 18th in the league in fewest yards allowed this season. In 2020, a franchise known for being frugal opened up its checkbook and wooed run-stopping interior performer D.J. Reader away from the Houston Texans. Unfortunately, the underrated performer was limited to only five games. And a defense that had struggled against the run for many seasons allowed the fourth-most rushing yards in the league a season ago.
This year, Reader has stayed healthy for the vast majority of the year. And the Bengals allowed the fifth-fewest yards on the ground this year. Combining that kind of steady play inside with superior edge-rushers such as Trey Hendrickson and Sam Hubbard and the Cincinnati defensive line, which also features tackle B.J. Hill, creates a lot of issues for opposing offenses.
Sean McVay’s Rams finished ninth in the NFL in total offense this season but ranked only 25th in rushing yardage (99.0 average). But it wasn’t for a lack of trying as the team averaged just under 25 running plays per game. And the Los Angeles’ offense has been extremely balanced in the playoffs with 97 running plays and 106 passing plays. Can the Bengals change that on Super Sunday?
1. Zac Taylor’s team plays turnover-free football
That really wouldn’t be too much of a stretch if the team’s current postseason run is any indication. The Bengals did not give up the football in the 26-19 win over the Raiders in the wild card round. Joe Burrow threw one interception in the team’s 19-16 AFC Divisional Playoffs at Tennessee and another in the 27-24 overtime victory at Arrowhead Stadium in the conference title game.
That’s in stark contrast to Sean McVay’s Rams, who managed to beat the Buccaneers in the NFC Divisional Playoffs despite losing four fumbles. And quarterback Matthew Stafford did throw an interception in the club’s 20-17 come-from-behind win over the 49ers in the conference title game.
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When it comes to Super Bowl history, taking care of the football has proven to be the most crucial of statistics. The team with fewer turnovers than their opposition on Super Sunday has prevailed in 38-of-43 instances (there have been 12 games when both clubs had the same amount of miscues) – an impressive .884 winning percentage. All told, 19 of the 55 Super Bowl champions played a turnover-free game. And the combined turnover differential for those 55 Lombardi Trophy winners on game day is a mind-blowing plus-101.