Bengals vs Rams: Everything to know ahead of Super Bowl LVI
The Cincinnati Bengals and Los Angeles Rams square off in an enticing Super Bowl LVI showdown in LA THIS WEEKEND as Joe Burrow and Matthew Stafford go head-to-head: Everything to know ahead of the mammoth clash
- The Cincinnati Bengals take on the Los Angeles Rams at Super Bowl LVI
- The prestigious game takes place at the SoFi Stadium on Sunday, February 13
- It’s the home stadium of the Rams, though they are the designated away side
- The battle between quarterbacks Joe Burrow and Matthew Stafford will be key
- Tom Brady’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers lifted the Vince Lombardi Trophy last year
The 56th edition of the Super Bowl is set to take place this weekend as the Cincinnati Bengals and the Los Angeles Rams go head-to-head in a mouthwatering event.
It was Tom Brady’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers who lifted the prestigious Vince Lombardi Trophy last year, seeing off previous champions Kansas City Chiefs in a surpassingly one-sided encounter in Florida.
The Rams will look to follow suit by becoming the second successive team to emerge victorious while carrying home advantage, with the clash set to be played at their SoFi Stadium in California.
They will still find themselves in somewhat unfamiliar territory, however, being the designated ‘away’ team, meaning it’s actually the Bengals who will have the comforts of the home dressing room.
The Bengals are just one of 12 teams in the NFL never to have claimed Super Bowl glory in its 56-year history, having fallen short at the final hurdle on two occasions. And after being crowned the worst team in the league in the 2019 campaign, their turnaround is truly remarkable.
With the game now just a few days away, here is the complete guide to everything you need to know.
The Cincinnati Bengals and Los Angeles Rams go head-to-head at this weekend’s Super Bowl
Bengals coach Zac Taylor (left) worked under Rams coach Sean McVay (right) for two years
The game will take place on Sunday, February 13 2022, also known as Super Bowl Sunday.
The action will begin at 11.30pm in the UK and will continue until around 3am.
In the States, the action will get underway at 3.30pm PT, 6.30pm ET, 5.30pm Central and 4.30pm Mountain.
Which teams are playing in Super Bowl 2022?
Super Bowl LVI will be contested by the Cincinnati Bengals and the Los Angeles Rams, after their respective wins over Kansas City Chiefs, who made the final last year, and the San Francisco 49ers.
Victory for the Bengals ensured their first Super Bowl appearance since 1989, when they lost to the San Francisco 49ers, while the Rams last competed in 2019, then losing out to the New England Patriots.
Of course, the Rams are owned by a certain Stan Kroenke, who also owns Premier League outfit Arsenal.
It’s the first time the pair will have ever met in a championship game.
Where is the game being played?
Last year, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers became the first-ever NFL side to play a Super Bowl at their home stadium.
And this year, it’s happening again, with the Rams’ newly-built SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, California, set to host the mammoth occasion.
The newly-built SoFi Stadium, which cost over $5.5b to construct, will host the Super Bowl
The stadium has a capacity of just over 70,000 and opened less than two years ago in 2020
The 70,240-capacity stadium was completed in 2020 and cost over $5.5billion to construct.
Just 25,000 spectators were allowed into the Raymond James Stadium last year due to the prevalent coronavirus restrictions at the time, but a full-capacity crowd will grace the modern build on February 13.
Routes to the final
Both teams produced stunning comebacks to reach the enticing final on Sunday.
The Bengals, playing he AFC Championship game, overturned an 18-point deficit to beat the Kansas City Chiefs 27-24.
The Rams, playing in the NFC Championship game, overturned a 10-point deficit to emerge victorious against San Francisco 49ers. They were at one stage 17-7 down but rallied to win 20-17.
Cincinnati Bengals
- January 15: Las Vegas Raiders 19-26 Cincinnati Bengals
- January 22: Cincinnati Bengals 19-16 Tennessee Titans
- January 30: Cincinnati Bengals 27-24 Kansas City Chiefs (AFC Championship game)
The Bengals claimed a historic victory over the Kansas City Chiefs to reach the Super Bowl
Los Angeles Rams
- January 17: Arizona Cardinals 11-34 Los Angeles Rams
- January 23: Los Angeles Rams 30-27 Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- January 30: San Francisco 49ers 17-20 Los Angeles Rams (NFC Championship game)
The Rams celebrated after a brilliant comeback win over the San Francisco 49ers
Joe Burrow vs Matthew Stafford: A decisive battle
The performances of Joe Burrow and Matthew Stafford will be fundamental to the outcome of this year’s Super Bowl.
Burrow, who has proven a revelation since he moved to the Bengals as the No 1 draft pick in 2020, has made history by reaching the Super Bowl faster than any other No 1 overall pick, doing so in just his second season with the Cincinnati side.
As stated, the Bengals were the worst team in the league come the end of the 2019 season, which gave them the No 1 draft pick in 2020. Of course, they went for the star quarterback. Burrow is yet to lose a post-season game in his career.
He can place his name among the youngest Super Bowl winners in history with victory this season, though the 25-year-old would remain behind Ben Roethlisberger (23), Patrick Mahomes (24) and Tom Brady (24).
Burrow has almost single-handedly dragged the Bengals to the Super Bowl, doing so having been recovering from a torn ACL this time last year. He set Bengals’ records for passer rating, touchdowns and yards this season, while also leading the NFL in completion percentage.
Joe Burrow (left) has singled-handedly transformed the Bengals into the force they are today, while Matthew Stafford (right) has waited a staggering 13 years for his Super Bowl shot
Burrow comes up against another elite talent in Stafford, whose best string of performances this season undoubtedly came in the playoffs, which is rather timely.
At 34, Stafford is nine years older than his quarterback counterpart, but similarly to Burrow, he also started his career as a first overall pick in the NFL draft, doing so all the way back in 2009 for the Detroit Lions.
The match-up between the pair marks just the second time in Super Bowl history that the starting quarterbacks are both first overall picks.
But while Burrow has experienced a rapid rise to the top, it has taken Stafford a whopping 13 years to reach the big stage.
How to watch Super Bowl LV in the UK?
To watch this year’s Super Bowl, you have two primary choices of broadcasters in the BBC and Sky Sports.
BBC will begin their television coverage at 11pm on BBC Two, before switching to BBC One at 11.35pm. Viewers can also watch on both iPlayer and online, while radio coverage is available on BBC Sounds and BBC 5 Live from 11pm.
Sky Sports will begin their coverage at 10pm on channels Sky Sports NFL and Sky Sports Main Event.
Viewers can also watch on Sky Go or via NOW with the Sky Sports Day Pass.
As for those in the United States, the event will be broadcast live on NBC, which also has the rights to the Winter Olympics this year. Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth will announce the game.
It can also be streamed on Peacock’s premium tier and will be available on the NBC Sports App and NBCSports.com.
Who is performing the 2022 Super Bowl halftime show?
The Weeknd took centre stage at the 2021 Super Bowl half-time show
The halftime show has become fundamental to the Super Bowl over the years, with memorable performances from Bruno Mars, Michael Jackson, Prince and many more.
This year, an array of performers will grace the SoFi Stadium for a 12-minute extravaganza, being Dr Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar and blues singer Mary J Blige.
The show will begin at around 1am UK time, or 5pm in California.
Pepsi recently released the official promotional trailer for the upcoming show, titled ‘The Call’, which was directed by Straight Outta Compton director F Gary Gray.
‘The most epic, star-studded Pepsi Super Bowl LVI Halftime Show trailer is OUT,’ Pepsi captioned the post on social media.
Who is singing the national anthem?
Country singer Mickey Guyton is set to sing the American national anthem
The national anthem will be performed by country singer Mickey Guyton at this year’s Super Bowl.
The 38-year-old expressed her delight upon being picking picked for the job.
‘The national anthem is my song,’ Guyton said. ‘The first time I sung it was at a basketball game when I was 13, and I kept my eyes closed the whole time. But then they asked me to sing at every game after that.’
Will there be any restrictions?
There will be a full-capacity crowd present for this year’s Super Bowl but attendees aged two and above will be required to wear a mask at all times, other than when they are eating or drinking.
This was announced in January, when Los Angeles County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer revealed KN95 masks will be distributed to fans, with standard COVID protocols expected to be followed.
A total of 60,000 free take home test kits are being distributed from the Super Bowl Experience at the LA Convention Center, while the county is also setting up vaccination sites at the event.
The only time fans will be allowed to remove their masks is for eating or drinking purposes
All fans must show proof of vaccination or a negative test before entering SoFi Stadium
Fans attending the NFL’s championship game, aged five and above, will also be required to show proof of vaccination or a recent negative test.
As part of the county’s restrictions, if anyone refuses to wear a mask after being told by facility stuff the offense could carry a $250 fine.
Last week, however, LA County Supervisor Kathryn Barger sent a letter to Ferrer urging her to revisit the policy.
What happened at Super Bowl LV?
Tom Brady led the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to a historic Super Bowl victory as they strolled past the reigning champions Kansas City Chiefs.
The victory saw Brady claim his seventh title, incredibly more than any NFL team has as a whole, including the Patriots (six) and Steelers (six). He also claimed his fifth Super Bowl MVP.
Tom Brady made history as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers beat the Kansas City Chiefs in 2021
Brady (right) celebrated with his team-mate Rob Gronkowski after their historic victory
Brady more recently sent shockwaves round the sport as he announced his decision to retire
It was the Chiefs who came in as the favourites, in what was meant to be Patrick Mahomes’ coronation as Brady’s logical successor as the NFL’s next major star.
Of course, Brady recently hit the headlines once more after announcing his decision to retire from the sport, aged 44, but he has more recently refused to rule out a possible return.
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