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| Venue: SoFi Stadium, Inglewood Date: Sunday, 13 February Kick-off: 23:30 GMT |
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A technique or one other, it may be a Hollywood ending to an enthralling NFL season with Tremendous Bowl 56 set to offer both the ultimate act of a real underdog story or the completion of an formidable all-star gamble.
The Los Angeles Rams went all-in in assembling an all-star forged to verify they performed the Tremendous Bowl of their magnificent new residence stadium, however no person was anticipating the Cincinnati Bengals, 125-1 outsiders in the beginning of the season, to be lining up in opposition to them.
With one other bumper set of all-stars set to make the half-time present a blockbuster too, it is all set as much as be an evening like no different in Los Angeles.
The underdogs in opposition to the all stars
Completely no person fancied the Bengals, with simply six wins in two earlier seasons mixed, to make it this far – and in reality no group has ever had a worse document within the two years earlier than making the Tremendous Bowl.
However this yr all of it clicked. With second-year quarterback Joe Burrow reunited with faculty team-mate Ja’Marr Chase, the Bengals have been an attacking group filled with highlight-reel huge performs.
Burrow and Chase apart, the Bengals have a squad extra consistent with a low-key franchise that has by no means received the Tremendous Bowl, and went 31 years with out even successful a play-off sport till this season.
In contrast, because the Rams moved again to LA from St Louis in 2016 they’ve actually taken the Hollywood theme to coronary heart, embarking on an formidable plan of blockbuster trades to usher in established star gamers in very important positions.
They’ve performed 4 Tremendous Bowls of their 86-year historical past – having began life in Cleveland in 1936, they moved to LA within the Nineteen Forties, and to St Louis within the mid-90s, earlier than returning to LA – however have received just one, in 2000.
They’ve now put down everlasting roots within the Metropolis of Angels. Proprietor Stan Kroenke splashed out $5bn to construct the beautiful SoFi Stadium and produce the Tremendous Bowl again to LA, the place it was first staged in 1967 earlier than the sport was even referred to as the Tremendous Bowl – for some cause ‘the AFL-NFL World Championship Sport’ didn’t catch on as a title.
The Rams final had a first-round draft choose in 2016 and are subsequent scheduled one in 2024. As a substitute they have older gamers on large wages pushing the wage cap to the restrict, however it’s all a part of their win-now mentality.
It is an attention-grabbing method from Kroenke, who has not precisely demonstrated the identical imaginative and prescient at Arsenal, as Gunners followers will let you know. Most followers in north London will probably be about as pleased with Kroenke’s Rams successful on Sunday as Manchester United followers have been in regards to the Glazers successful final yr’s Tremendous Bowl with Tampa Bay.
Two prime picks, two prime receivers and two shut head coaches
Matthew Stafford and Joe Burrow are solely the second pair of quarterbacks each picked primary general within the draft to satisfy within the Tremendous Bowl.
A decade with struggling Detroit gave Stafford little probability to shine, however the reality the Rams paid such a excessive worth for a 34-year-old exhibits simply how determined they have been to win a Tremendous Bowl. He merely has to ship in a sport that can outline his profession.
Burrow is in simply his second yr however walks and talks like a person destined for the massive stage – and his 7-0 document in play-off video games in faculty and the NFL present you he normally delivers when the stakes are highest.
He is powerful – he has recovered from a brutal knee damage and been sacked extra instances than every other QB within the league this season, however he retains on getting as much as win. His presence on the sector is in regards to the closest you will get to that of Tom Brady – who, by the way, received his first Tremendous Bowl in his second season and as an enormous underdog.
At huge receiver you could have the Rams’ Cooper Kupp – coming off a season when he topped the charts in catches, yards and touchdowns – in opposition to Bengals rookie Chase, who has taken the league by storm. Each look unstoppable at instances and both might be a sport winner.
There may be additionally intrigue on the sidelines, the place Rams head coach Sean McVay goes up in opposition to a former assistant in Bengals boss Zac Taylor – who was on LA’s workers for his or her final Tremendous Bowl look three years in the past. That inside information might probably give Taylor an edge.
Do not go to mattress too quickly – this might go all the best way
It has been a nail-biting season all yr, with a document 35 video games received on the final play of the sport and all 4 matches in a loopy divisional spherical of the play-offs settled by walk-off wins.
The Bengals had two walk-off wins to get to the Tremendous Bowl and are recognized for his or her second-half comebacks, with a expertise for making tactical adjustments on the break.
They outscored opponents by a league-best 73 factors within the third quarter over the season, and as they confirmed with an enormous wobble in opposition to Brady’s defending champions the Buccaneers, the Rams can wrestle to kill video games off.
With an additional lengthy half-time interval for Taylor to work his tactical magic, don’t go switching this one off early.
Talking of half-time… what a present in retailer!
Because the Tremendous Bowl returns to Los Angeles for the primary time in nearly 30 years, the NFL has pulled out all of the stops with a bumper half-time present that can characteristic Eminem, Snoop Dogg, Mary J Blige, Kendrick Lamar and Dr Dre.
With 43 Grammys between them it is one other all-star forged for this Hollywood epic, and a homecoming for Lamar, Dre and Snoop Dogg.
Tremendous Bowl stats to impress your pals
- After 54 years with no group taking part in a Tremendous Bowl at residence, the Rams are the second on the bounce after the Buccaneers received in Tampa final yr.
- That is simply the second time two QBs who have been primary general picks within the draft have met within the Tremendous Bowl – Payton Manning and Cam Newton have been the primary, at Tremendous Bowl 50.
- The Bengals have performed in two earlier Tremendous Bowls, dropping each to the 49ers, whereas the Rams have received one in all their 4 earlier appearances.
- With Bengals head coach Zac Taylor aged 38 and reverse quantity Sean McVay 36, that is the youngest head teaching Tremendous Bowl match-up of all time.
- If the Rams win, Sean McVay would be the youngest ever Tremendous Bowl successful head coach, beating the document held by Pittsburgh’s Mike Tomlin who received aged 36 years and 323 days.
- The pre-match betting underdogs have received six of the previous 10 Tremendous Bowls.
- That is the primary Tremendous Bowl since 1975 to not have a primary or second seed collaborating. Each groups have been seeded 4 of their convention so there will probably be a fourth seed as Tremendous Bowl champs for the primary time since Baltimore in 2012.
- If the Rams beat the Bengals, they may turn into the third franchise to win Tremendous Bowls whereas being situated in two cities, after the Colts – Baltimore and Indianapolis – and the Raiders, who’ve received whereas in Oakland and Los Angeles.
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