Super Bowl LVI Predictions by The Chefs & Barbershop
Photo Credit: Marca
The Big Game is the unofficial holiday of the world where we watch two teams battle for the Vince Lombardi trophy. The Los Angeles Rams will take on the Cincinnati Bengals in SoFi Stadium. The Sport City Chefs and The Barbershop are joining forces to preview the game and give their picks on who will win this Sunday.
Predictions
The two quarterbacks have my heart at this point. One QB I've watched his entire career and grow into this point of being at the pinnacle of the World. While one is a Young Gun and has the exact same birthday as myself! Go figure!!? I'd favor Stafford because it's in his backyard and Brady set the narrative last year that the home team is the winner. But Burrow has shown up against all odds too. I absolutely love the matchup to tell the truth. To hear my answer tune into the Super Brunch on Sunday Morning! Owwwwwwwww! --Tyrone "TP Tymeless" Powell of Sport City Chefs
Photo Credit: GettyImages
When looking at the matchup within the matchup this is the total embodiment of David vs Goliath. The Rams have all the stars and seasoned veterans, the Bengals are the team nobody thought would be here. Under the fluff there’s a few things that are apparent. This game will be won/ lost in the trenches, for that reason I believe the Rams will emerge victorious. -- Aaron "Serious" Simmons of Sport City Chefs
I'm torn on who to pick because while my heart says how can you doubt Joe Burrow right now, I think the Rams have too much offensive firepower and defensive talent that in the end could overwhelm the Bengals. To me the biggest question is can the Bengals offensive line keep Burrow upright. He's been sacked a ton over the 3 playoff games, and the Rams have a ferocious pass rush. So Burrow is going to need time to get the ball into Jamar Chase and Tee Huggins hands to make some plays. I also don't think the Bengals can slow down the Rams offense, so if they're going to have any chance I think they'll need to create multiple turnovers. In the end it's the Rams for me but I think the Bengals keep it close. -- Seth Kolbrenner of Sport City Chefs
Photo Credit: USA Today
Super Bowl LVI Sunday, February 13, 2022 is going to be a day for all NFL fans to always remember. Fighting their way out of what I believe to be the two toughest divisions in the NFL, the NFC West and the AFC North. Both of these teams are battle tested and have used different philosophies in their approach. Quite possibly even down to the basic philosophies of nurture versus nature. The Rams were a team that went all in to win now trading and signing for large names like Matthew Stafford, Von Miller and Odell Beckham Jr., Possibly leveraging their future to add to their already star-studded talented roster of players that include Aaron Donald, Cooper Kupp and Cam Akers. The Bengals on the other hand built their team through the draft, building up pics drafting well and acquiring perhaps the next big stars of the NFL in players like Joe Burrow, Ja'Marr Chase, Joe Mixon, and Tee Higgins under the helm of Mike Brown. They also added a new head coach in Zac Taylor in 2019.
As a die-hard Rams fan myself I am not overlooking the Bengals and what they bring to the table as they have continued to be the best teams in the NFL week after week in the playoffs. Both teams have a huge legacy on the line, as it is also the first Super Bowl for Matt Stafford and Joe Burrow. If Joe Burrow was able to win the Super Bowl this year he would be one of the only players in NFL history to have won a Heisman, national championship and the Super Bowl. Joining the only other players to have done this Tony Dorsett, Charles Woodson and Reggie Bush.
On the other hand Matthew Stafford could quite possibly cement his Hall of Fame legacy with a win in the Super Bowl on Sunday. It should be a game for the ages with all this on the line. That being said I believe the Rams will win the Super Bowl as I believe they are a more talented well-rounded team on both sides of the ball. I’m not taking anything away from the Cincinnati Bengals and their AFC championship squad. In a lot of ways it comes down to old versus new. Experience versus inexperienced. 9 times out of 10 I will take experience, but there is always that 1 time that may pull it out this time. Overall I have the Rams winning the game with the final score of the game being Rams 31 Bengals 24 with Aaron Donald as the Super Bowl MVP. -- Craig "Groove" Mills of the Barbershop
Photo Credit: ABC
This is one of the more evenly matched Super Bowl contests I've seen. It's not two juggernaut teams, but equally balanced teams. The Rams have one of the best wide receiver units in the league led by Cooper Kupp and Odell Beckham Jr. But the Bengals have an equally dynamic receiving core led by Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. The running backs are a wash and the tight end positions both are hot with injuries.
Joe Burrow had overcome a bad offensive line and picked up two amazing road victories. One of those wins was against the Chiefs and Patrick Mahomes. Matt Stafford overcame the legend Tom Brady and defeated a 49ers team they hadn't beaten in 3 years. Stafford has tossed 6 TDs and only 1 INT this postseason. But the difference in this game is on defense. The Rams on paper have the better defense led by Aaron Donald. Aaron Donald and Von Miller can make this a long game for Burrow as he had been the most sacked QB this season. If Burrow is sacked 9 times like he was in Tennessee, he might not be able to overcome that. Because of Jalen Ramsey, Aaron Donald and an edge on specials, I'll go with the Rams. I will lay the points and pick the Rams 27 - Bengals 19. -- Barry “Da Villain” Jordan of Sport City Chefs
The Bengals seem to have the perfect storylines. A once proud franchise revived by a quarterback who oozes cool with everything he does. They opted to take the wide receiver that was Burrow’s college pal instead of shoring up the offensive line - a flashy move. Their head coach is a protégé of a once-30 year old coach who is on the opposite sideline. How can a fan of underdogs not root for the Bengals?
On the other side are the Los Angeles Rams - a city known for its flash. On the sidelines are Matt Stafford from Detroit, OBJ by way of Cleveland and New York, and some stars who had been there for a few years like Aaron Donald who once played for the St Louis Rams - all under their young coach. A cool story but a group of very talented mercenaries.
Photo Credit: Los Angeles Times
My heart is pulling for the Bengals but ultimately the Rams have the talent and experience - they should win and cover whatever the final number is, even if it gets to 5 - because Aaron Donald is going to break the game as an interior lineman and win MVP - or ensure that Stafford gets a super bowl MVP. Rams 34 - Bengals 28 -- Dave "Jets" Cuthbertson off Sport City Chefs
This game is the culmination of what might have been the greatest playoffs in recent memory. The young up and coming Cincinnati Bengals vs the Los Angeles Rams who have been selling everything to get to this point for years and also happen to be in their home building. At first blush it seems like an easy win for the LA Rams. The Bengals as a franchise gave up 55 sacks during the regular season which is 3.2 sacks per game and one of the worst in the NFL going against a team second in the league at 50 sacks during the regular season this year. This is a huge mismatch. The next big stat for me is that the Bengals were the 5th most penalized squad whereas the Rams are the 28th most penalized squad in the league defensively. The saving grace for the Bengals is that Ron Torbert throws the 4th least amount of flags in the regular season. So there is hope. Just like the fact that they won after 9 sacks given up against the Titans is a reason for hope. But I don't buy it, I'm going Rams 34 - 17 -- James "Controversy" Greenwood of Sport City Chefs
This matchup between the Rams and Bengals is for me a classic head v. heart thing. My heart wants to see Cincinnati defy the odds and win for the first time in my lifetime, and the history of the franchise. There are many factors that would make this one of those incredible Cinderella stories for sure, but in the end, the Rams are the better football team. They went all in on the quarterback, and then added Von Miller and Odell Beckham Jr. as extra pieces... this team was built for this destiny, and I believe they close this out and Matthew Stafford leads this Rams team to a fairly convincing victory in their home stadium. The Rams win this game 34-21. -- Mike "Mr Harvey" of Sport City Chefs
Photo Credit: The Spun
