The L.A. Rams are the team that went out and got stars before they reached the Super Bowl. The Cincinnati Bengals are the team that got to the Super Bowl before most of their players have become stars.
But 2022 is going to change the lives of many players on the Bengals from here on out.
Though Cincinnati’s defense is average-at-best on paper, I can’t help but consider one super important fact about them: they’re in the goddamn Super Bowl. And they’re coming off an absolute deconstruction of Patrick Mahomes in the AFC Championship, brushing off a poor start to the game and making him pay “the Patrick price” for underestimating the defense at the end of the first half.
So in spite of the Bengals’ ranking 17th in points allowed, 26th in passing yards allowed, and 19th in DVOA, what I’m interested in is how a defense without a single starter over the age of 27 has twice defeated Mahomes in the past month, gave up 19 points to the Raiders in the wild card round, 16 points to the Titans in the divisional round, and has forced seven turnovers in the playoffs.
RAMS wound up -3 in to's from 3 playoff games facing off against 5th seed Cards 3rd seed TB and finals vs 6th seed 49ers
That’s what matters to me. Not purely statistics and preconceived notions about player value based on whether or not they were voted into the Pro Bowl this year.
These players have plenty of awards and honors in their futures, and the Rams have to worry about a whole lot more during Super Bowl LVI than just “Joe Burrow-to-Ja’Marr Chase” or whether Zac Taylor is actually the master and not the grasshopper.
But 2022 is going to change the lives of many players on the Bengals from here on out.
Though Cincinnati’s defense is average-at-best on paper, I can’t help but consider one super important fact about them: they’re in the goddamn Super Bowl. And they’re coming off an absolute deconstruction of Patrick Mahomes in the AFC Championship, brushing off a poor start to the game and making him pay “the Patrick price” for underestimating the defense at the end of the first half.
So in spite of the Bengals’ ranking 17th in points allowed, 26th in passing yards allowed, and 19th in DVOA, what I’m interested in is how a defense without a single starter over the age of 27 has twice defeated Mahomes in the past month, gave up 19 points to the Raiders in the wild card round, 16 points to the Titans in the divisional round, and has forced seven turnovers in the playoffs.
RAMS wound up -3 in to's from 3 playoff games facing off against 5th seed Cards 3rd seed TB and finals vs 6th seed 49ers
That’s what matters to me. Not purely statistics and preconceived notions about player value based on whether or not they were voted into the Pro Bowl this year.
These players have plenty of awards and honors in their futures, and the Rams have to worry about a whole lot more during Super Bowl LVI than just “Joe Burrow-to-Ja’Marr Chase” or whether Zac Taylor is actually the master and not the grasshopper.