The season finale is finally here as the Los Angeles Rams will take on the Cincinnati Bengals in the 2022 Super Bowl on Sunday, February 13, at SoFi Stadium. With a 20-17 victory over the 49ers in the NFC Championship, the NFC West Champion Rams (15-5) guaranteed their place in the big game. Meanwhile, the Bengals (13-7) won their third AFC championship, defeating the Chiefs 27-24 in the AFC conference championship game.
Cincinnati Bengals Betting Preview: Bengals Hope to Continue Cinderella Story
Cincinnati demonstrated their tenacity after rallying from an 18-point deficit to overcome the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game. Joe Burrow has been a crucial part of this attack, completing 70.4 percent of quarterback passes for 4,611 yards and 34 touchdowns. Meanwhile, Joe Mixon, who has 296 all-purpose yards and one touchdown in the playoffs, has emerged as one of the team’s postseason heroes.
Despite the Bengals’ defense ranking 17th in points and 26th in passing yards allowed in the playoffs, they have forced seven turnovers. Cincy also beat Patrick Mahomes on the road, lost by 19 points to the Raiders in the wild card round, and lost by 16 points to the Titans in the divisional round.
Los Angeles Rams Betting Preview: Rams Look to Avenge Last Super Bowl Loss
Matthew Stafford has been the MVP of this Rams squad, with eight touchdowns and only one interception after throwing eight picks in the final three games of the regular season. Cooper Kupp and Odell Beckham Jr. have also excelled in the postseason, combining for 44 catches for 622 yards and five touchdowns.
The defensive front of the Rams is strong, and it’s one of the reasons they’ve made it this far. Von Miller has been a defensive force in the playoffs with two sacks, four tackles for loss, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery. Aaron Donald had 12.5 sacks this season and will undoubtedly put the Bengals’ offensive line to the test in the postseason, where they have allowed 12 sacks.
Betting Lines & Odds
Early betting odds on MyBookie have the Rams as -4.5 home favorites, with the total score of 48.5. The Rams are 10-10 ATS this season, while the Bengals are 13-7 ATS. In ten of the Rams’ 20 games, the total has gone over. In 12 of Cincinnati’s 20 games, the total has been under.
Free Betting Pick
The Bengals deserve credit for knocking out the AFC’s top two seeds on the road, but their Cinderella run has been fraught with danger in the postseason. The Bengals have been outgained in each of their three playoff games and have looked far from a championship-caliber team for the entire 60 minutes of play, especially in their last two games.
Cincinnati has benefited from important takeaways at crucial times to help secure those victories. However, there are still fundamental weaknesses from the regular season that have been accentuated in the playoffs. One of those sore spots is defending standout quarterback Joe Burrow.
Burrow was sacked 51 times during the regular season and had a dozen sacks in the playoffs, nine of which came against Tennessee. Los Angeles had 50 sacks during the regular season, and the defensive line causes havoc by pressuring opposing quarterbacks into bad passes and knocking down balls at the line. This has prevented those opposing offenses from establishing a rhythm, resulting in L.A.’s postseason defensive success on third down.
The Rams offense has been lights out, particularly Matthew Stafford, who has eight total touchdowns in the postseason and just one interception. The Rams have been in this territory before losing their last super bowl matchup, so they will come in having the experience. To make matters worse for the Bengals, the Rams are playing in the friendly confines of their home stadium.
BetUSASports Free Pick: Rams -4.5
