Rams vs. Bengals: Latest Odds and Predictions for Super Bowl 56

Another NFL postseason game went to overtime, and another thrilling finish went into the books Sunday.

The Cincinnati Bengals stormed back from an early deficit against the Kansas City Chiefs to capture the Lamar Hunt Trophy as the AFC champions.

With time ticking down in the first half, the Bengals trailed the Chiefs 21-3, and all hope seemed lost. But a Samaje Perine 41-yard touchdown reception from Joe Burrow a little under two minutes before halftime turned the momentum, and by the end of regulation, the Chiefs and Bengals were all tied up at 24.

When the Chiefs won the overtime coin toss, the road to the Super Bowl again looked to be closed off to the Bengals. But a shocking Patrick Mahomes interception on third-and-10 allowed Evan McPherson to drill a 31-yard field goal to clinch the 27-24 win.

Not to be outdone, the San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams kept things close in the NFC Championship Game. They were tied at 17 with overtime looming, but the Rams didn't need the extra session to get things done against Jimmy Garoppolo and Co. A 30-yard Matt Gay field goal with 1:46 remaining in regulation put the Rams up 20-17, and a Travin Howard interception on the 49ers' final drive sealed the win for the Rams.

Los Angeles will become the second team in as many years to host its own Super Bowl, though the Rams aren't considered the home team for Super Bowl LVI; it was designated to be the AFC team this year.

Let's take a look at the latest odds for the big clash and break down what to expect from this matchup.

                     

Super Bowl 2022 Odds

Rams: -190 (bet $190 to win $100)

Bengals: +160 (bet $100 to win $160)

            

If you like passing offense, this is the Super Bowl for you. The Rams had 4,642 passing yards on the regular season; the Bengals had 4,403. It was good enough to rank fifth and seventh in the league, respectively.

On the other side of all that passing was a heck of a lot of Cooper Kupp and Ja'Marr Chase. Kupp led the league with a whopping 1,947 receiving yards. In fact, he captured the Triple Crown with a league-high 145 receptions and 16 touchdowns.

Not too far behind him was Chase, who, in his rookie season, lit up the league alongside his former LSU teammate Burrow with 1,455 yards (fourth) and 13 touchdowns (third).

It was almost unfair, then, that the Bengals also had one of the league's most effective ground attacks in 2021. Joe Mixon was third among all running backs with 1,205 yards, and his 13 touchdowns ranked fourth.

While no one Ram was quite as deadly on the ground as Mixon, Los Angeles did construct a productive two-pronged attack between Sony Michel and Darrell Henderson, who totaled 1,533 yards and nine touchdowns between them.

What's more, the Rams got star running back Cam Akers back from IR in Week 18, and he has had a marked effect in the postseason and brings a different dynamic to the running game.

But this game, as many title games do, will likely come down to defense. The Bengals unit was vulnerable to the pass in the regular season, giving up 248.4 yards per game (26th). Cincinnati's 22.1 points allowed per game was middle of the pack.

The Rams defense, however, was stellar. Led by Aaron Donald and Von Miller up front, Los Angeles terrorized opposing quarterbacks, racking up 50 sacks, which ranked third in the league, as well as 95 quarterback hits.

Cincinnati's offensive line, meanwhile, was one of the league's worst when it comes to protecting the quarterback. The Bengals gave up 55 sacks in the 2021 season, third-most in the NFL, and Burrow was sacked 51 times.

This game has the potential to be a shootout, and Burrow has proved capable of compensating for the deficiencies of his line. But the Rams front seven may prove just too stout for Cincinnati to overcome.

Super Bowl LVI score prediction: Rams 20, Bengals 17

             

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.

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