Why the Cincinnati Bengals Will Win Super Bowl 56

We break down the case for why the Cincinnati Bengals will emerge victorious in their Super Bowl 56 showdown against the Los Angeles Rams.

One of the wildest NFL seasons in recent memory is set to culminate in Southern California with Super Bowl 56. We have some relatively fresh faces in this year’s championship game as the Los Angeles Rams are set to take on the Cincinnati Bengals. 

Trivia question:

When was the last time the Cincinnati Bengals were in the Super Bowl?

They've never been in the Super Bowl. The Bengals have made zero trips to the big game in franchise history. Sorry for the trick question.

While the Rams were just in the Super Bowl four years ago, the franchise has not hoisted the Lombardi Trophy in over two decades. As for the Bengals, they are really a fresh face on the Big Game stage. In addition to never having won the Super Bowl, they haven't even played in the game since 1988.

Cincinnati lost to the San Francisco 49ers in each of their two previous Super Bowl appearances. Will a different opponent prove to be more favorable for this year’s Bengals squad? 

Let’s take a look at why and how the Cincinnati Bengals will win Super Bowl 56.

2022 Super Bowl Odds

Bengals Season Recap

Betting Trends: 13-7 SU, 13-7 ATS, 8-12 O/UKey Performers: QB Joe Burrow (4,611 yards, 34 touchdowns, 14 interceptions); RB Joe Mixon (1,205 yds, 13 TDs); WR Ja’Marr Chase (1,455 yds, 13 TDs); WR Tee Higgins (1,091 yds, 6 TDs); DE Trey Hendrickson (14 sacks, 3 forced fumbles)Preseason Super Bowl Odds: +15000

Coming into this NFL season, no one could have imagined that the Bengals would wind up playing in the Super Bowl. In fact, Cincinnati was the only team that most were comfortable with writing off in the AFC North Division.

Needless to say, those preseason prognosticators missed the boat by a mile. In just his second season as an NFL starting quarterback, Joe Burrow has now led the Bengals to a place the franchise has not been since the 1980s. It’s crazy to fathom that there was a widespread belief that Burrow might not even be ready for Week 1 after his gruesome knee injury from a year ago. He turned out to be ready and then some. 

Many people criticized the Bengals for electing to draft Burrow’s collegiate teammate, receiver Ja’Marr Chase, instead of stud offensive lineman Penei Sewell. While Chase still leaves a bit to be desired in terms of his technique, no one can argue with his monstrous rookie campaign. The highlight of Cincinnati’s season by far came in a Week 17 comeback win over the Kansas City Chiefs. Both Burrow (446 yds, 4 TDs) and Chase (266 yards, 3 TDs) went off as the Bengals clinched the AFC North Division title. 

When sizing up this Bengals team, it is also necessary to discuss the defense. The player who stood out, in particular, this season, was pass-rusher Trey Hendrickson. He proved to be worth every penny the Bengals paid him in free agency, as he set the single-season franchise record with 14 sacks. Add in defensive tackle D.J. Reader and fellow edge rusher Sam Hubbard, and the Bengals have a legitimate defensive front that has been underrated all season long.

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Why the Bengals Will Win

The Bengals are currently four-point underdogs to the Rams in the Super Bowl at BetRivers Sportsbook. Moneyline odds of +165 suggest that Cincinnati has a 37.7% chance to win the game outright. Just how and why will the Bengals make good on an implied probability of less than 50%?

The first key to a Bengals victory is the aforementioned defensive front. It will be critical for Hendrickson and Hubbard to establish a pass rush early on and put pressure on Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford. If Cincinnati is successful in doing so, it will force Stafford into making mistakes. Veteran safeties Vonn Bell and Mike Hilton both figure to play key roles in this game. 

Burrow is obviously going to need to have a big game in order for the Bengals to win. But he will only do so if the offensive line holds up. In the AFC Divisional Round, Cincinnati became just the second team to win a playoff game in which they allowed eight or more sacks. Even scarier was the fact that the majority of the nine sacks allowed came when the defense rushed only four.

While the Bengals deserve some credit for reducing that number to four in the AFC Championship Game, this is still an extremely vulnerable offensive line. In a matchup against Aaron Donald, Leonard Floyd and all of the defensive stars the Rams have to offer, it will take the best performance of the year from the Cincinnati O-line to win.

Burrow will also likely need to find some success against a four-man rush. Given the drastic splits in his performance when defenses rush four as opposed to a blitz, the Rams will undoubtedly aim to capitalize. Burrow has to make them pay when they drop seven in coverage. Establishing a consistent ground game with Joe Mixon will also be critical. It will certainly be to the Bengals’ benefit if they can win the time of possession battle and wear down the star-studded L.A. defense in the process.

SEE ALSO: C.J. Uzomah Prop Bets

Bets to Make on Bengals in Super Bowl 56

All odds taken from BetRivers Sportsbook

Trey Hendrickson Total Sacks: Over 0.5 (-130)????Player to Have Most Rushing Yards: Joe Mixon (-106)???Tee Higgins Total Receiving Yards: Over 89.5 (+180)???

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