Written by: Jacob Nevis
The matchup of Super Bowl LVI is set to be between the AFC champion Cincinnati Bengals and the NFC champion Los Angeles (LA) Rams. Super Bowl LVI is going to take place in SoFi Stadium, which is also the home of the LA Rams.
In fact, this is the second year in a row when one of the teams is at their home stadium. Last year, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers also played in their home stadium.
Both the Rams and Bengals had an interesting journey getting to the big game.
Before the playoffs, the Bengals had not won a playoff game in 31 years, and that streak snapped when they defeated the Las Vegas Raiders in the Wild Card round. They then went on to defeat the Tennessee Titans in the divisional round. After Tennessee, they traveled to Kansas City, where they defeated the Chiefs in overtime after Evan McPherson kicked a game winning field goal.
McPherson, a rookie out of Florida, also kicked the game winning field goal the week before. He broke the record of most field goals by a rookie in the postseason with 12.
Another contributor to the Bengals success includes rookie wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase, who has been phenomenal all year. The most important player to the Bengals, however, is second year quarterback Joe Burrow. After going out last year with a torn ACL, he has come back this year and helped lead his team to the Super Bowl.
In the NFC, the LA Rams had an interesting offseason, in which they traded quarterback Jared Goff to the Detroit Lions in exchange for veteran quarterback Matthew Stafford. The Rams went all in this season to try and win the Super Bowl, acquiring veteran linebacker Von Miller from the Denver Broncos and picking up veteran receiver Odell Beckham Jr. The Rams, in fact, won’t have a first-round draft pick until 2024 at the earliest.
LA Rams defeated their division rival, the Arizona Cardinals, in the Wild Card round. And, in the divisional round, they defeated defending champion Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In the NFC championship game, they defeated NFC West rival, the San Francisco 49ers, which sent them to the Super Bowl.
The Super Bowl is always an extremely thrilling time for football fans with many activities around the event being exciting. The halftime show is one of those things, and this year it includes Eminem, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dog and Mary J. Blige. Another aspect of the Super Bowl that many people like is the commercials.
The Super Bowl is scheduled for Sunday, February 13, at 6:30 p.m. EST.