X
Skip to content

Super Bowl LVI: When Bengals have the Ball

Donald, Cornerbacks in Spotlight for Los Angeles

The fact that Cincinnati Bengals are enjoying postseason success isn’t too surprising, but that it is happening this season might be catching more than a few folks off guard.

Regardless of what happens on Sunday in Super Bowl LVI vs. the Los Angeles Rams, the Bengals have put themselves in be championship contenders for years to come.

Pro Football Betting: Bengals’ young guns eyeing a title
ANDY LYONS /GETTY IMAGES VIA AFP

It could be argued that no team has more talented young offensive players than Cincinnati. This is not a coincidence as the Bengals’ top two picks in each of the last three NFL drafts were offensive players.

Quarterback Joe Burrow is 25, receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins are 21 and 23, respectively, offensive linemen Jackson Carman and Jonah Williams are 22 and 24, running back Joe Mixon is 25 and receiver Tyler Boyd is 27.

It will be fun to see how this group matures in the coming years and a win on Sunday would only speed up that process.

For those who bet online, here are some key matchups to keep an eye on when the Bengals’ offense is on the field.

Whoever Draws Rams DT Aaron Donald

Blocking the relentless Aaron Donald isn’t much fun for a veteran interior lineman, and that is especially true for a Cincinnati offensive line that includes Trey Hopkins, Quinton Spain, Hakeem Adeniji and Jackson Carman.

Hopkins and Spain are the two most experienced players on the interior of the line, but both are also former undrafted free agents. Something tells us that previous footage of three-time Defensive Player of the Year Aaron Donald being blocked by undrafted players is not pretty. It is not a great sign that the Bengals aren’t sure who will start at right guard. It has been a bumpy ride at times for both Carman and Adeniji and it could get much bumpier.

There are some rumblings that Carman, the Bengals’ second-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, could get a starting assignment so he would get up close and personal with Donald.

At +400, Donald has the best odds to record the first sack in the Super Bowl. Why not? The Bengals did allow nine sacks in the Divisional Round win against Tennessee, including three of them to interior lineman Jeffery Simmons.

No quarterback likes being pressured by the opposing team’s front seven but when it comes from the edge, that is the lesser of two evils. Giving up pressure up the middle is a recipe for disaster and no player in recent memory disrupts offensive game plans with inside pressure more than Donald.

If there is a silver lining, it is that Cincinnati’s line has had to deal with Simmons and Kansas City’s inside dynamo Chris Jones during this playoff run.

Bengals LT Jonah Williams vs. Rams LB Von Miller

The Cincinnati Bengals used the 11th overall pick in the 2019 draft on Alabama offensive lineman Jonah Williams and envisioned him being the starting left tackle for a decade if not longer. The importance of a blind-side protector like Williams became even more evident when Cincinnati took Burrow with the No. 1 overall pick the next year.

Williams is far from a finished product as his eight sacks allowed proves, but Pro Football Focus gave him a 77.5 grade. That isn’t quite what Los Angeles counterpart Andrew Whitworth put up, but it is the best mark of Cincinnati’s starting offensive linemen.

Williams could see plenty of Von Miller, one of the few defensive players to be named the Super Bowl’s Most Valuable Player when he led Denver to victory in Super Bowl 50.

Miller didn’t record a sack in his first four games with the Rams after being traded by Denver, but over the next six games, he had seven sacks, 11 tackles for loss and nine quarterback hits. His two sacks, four tackles for loss and three quarterback hits in three postseason games only begin to reveal the impact he has had in wins against Arizona, Tampa Bay and San Francisco.

Unlike many of his Los Angeles teammates, Miller knows what it feels like to win a Super Bowl and he figures to be front and center as he attempts to experience that feeling once again.

Bengals WR Ja’Marr Chase vs. Rams CB Jalen Ramsey

This one could be worth the price of admission.

It was instant magic when Ja’Marr Chase was reunited with Burrow, his college teammate at LSU. He is looking to do what star wideouts like A.J. Green, Chad Johnson and Cris Collinsworth were unable to accomplish and lead Cincinnati to the NFL championship.

After catching 81 passes for 1,455 yards and 13 touchdowns during the regular season, his postseason numbers haven’t been quite as gaudy. His 20 catches on 27 targets is nothing to apologize for, even if his yards per reception have fallen from 18.0 to 13.9.

The Las Vegas odds have a +165 number attached to Chase if he hits the 100-yard mark in the Super Bowl. It jumps to +650 if he gets to 150 yards, as he did three times during the regular season.

Chase should be acquainted with perennial Pro Bowl cornerback Jalen Ramsey, who was acquired by the Rams during the 2019 season for two No. 1 picks and a fourth-round selection. Matchups like these are precisely why the Rams were willing to part with so much draft capital.

Ramsey isn’t afraid to get physical even if that results in an early penalty and he will likely try to mix things up with Chase and make things as difficult as possible for Cincinnati’s talented rookie.

Bengals WR Tee Higgins vs. Rams CB Darious Williams

With the way the Bengals can spread the field with Chase, Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd, it can be hard to predict which defensive backs will get the assignment on the dangerous Cincinnati receivers.

Williams is tied for the Rams’ team lead with 10 solo tackles and 16 tackles. He also recorded nine pass breakups during the regular season so he is no stranger to coverage responsibilities.

Higgins has made more than a few crucial catches during the run to the Super Bowl. In a tight spot, he might be even more dangerous than the dynamic Chase because of his ability to work every area of the field.

The yardage props for Higgins aren’t far off what the NFL betting lines have for Chase, so that is an indication that he could be primed for another big game.

Williams is certainly flying under the radar nationally but that could change on Sunday. Just ask former Dallas defensive back Larry Brown or Dexter Jackson, the Super Bowl MVP when Tampa Bay won its first championship, how things changed after a big game on the NFL’s largest stage.

Among Rams players, only Eric Weddle has better odds to secure the game’s first interception than Williams.

Bengals RB Joe Mixon vs. Rams LB Troy Reeder and Co.

With all due respect to Los Angeles’ Cam Akers and Sony Michel, Mixon is more crucial to his team than any of the Rams running backs. The Rams are in the Super Bowl despite Akers and Michel combining for 2.9 yards per carry with one rushing touchdown between them.

Mixon hasn’t exactly been gashing defenses, but his 190 rushing yards and 106 receiving yards have played a huge role in the surprising surge of the Bengals.

He has the seventh-best odds at +3300 to be named Super Bowl MVP and that is a bet worth considering.

How Cincinnati’s offensive line deals with Donald and fellow defensive tackle A’Shawn Robinson will be critical because if Reeder and the other linebackers get to run free, it could be a long day for Mixon and Co.

Did you find this article interesting?

Comments (0)