Who do you think will win the super bowl?
Rams
I don't love betting on my own team (Cincinnati), but have had no choice these playoffs.
They got over the playoff curse and are a talented, well-coached team that is playing with house money. They are dangerous.
In the past I would auto-fade the Bengals only to create a win-win scenario, but I just can't. Bengals appear to be the play here, and if it loses then oh well.
They got over the playoff curse and are a talented, well-coached team that is playing with house money. They are dangerous.
In the past I would auto-fade the Bengals only to create a win-win scenario, but I just can't. Bengals appear to be the play here, and if it loses then oh well.
RAMS
Rams all day. Aaron Donald gets it done.
General thoughts from the perspective of a Bengals fan:
Rams won this game for two primary reasons:
I thought overall this was a pretty even game. In my prediction, I felt that the formula for Cincinnati was to do what they have done in the sense they win the turnover battle (they did), and their offensive line hold up just enough to give Burrow enough opportunities to make some plays down the stretch (they did not)
I thought the quarterback battle was fairly even in this game.
I would say that while Stafford made more poor throw and mistakes, he also made more great throws in this game, especially at the end. The Stafford narrative was a little confusing heading into these playoffs; he was sort of talked about like a choker of sorts, but I more viewed him as someone who basically has no experience on the big stages. I think the end zone pick was not a great decision, but the receiver kind of fucked up on that one too. The deflected pick in the third quarter was not a well thrown ball, but again just a bit of bad luck. He looked poised in the first quarter, and then again on that final drive.
I thought Burrow played a good game, but not a great one. He seemed a little bit nervous early on, but he got pretty comfortable in the 2nd and 3rd quarters. I think he missed a throw or two that could've possibly swung the outcome - the one that comes to mind is when he threw a ball too low for Chase late in the third that would have moved the sticks. It seems like the injury may turn out to be semi-serious, and I wonder if it impacted the play calling a bit on their last drive (staying in shot gun instead of going under center on those last two plays). Burrow obviously suffered from a lack of protection down the stretch, so that needs to be factored in. He grew up a lot as a quarterback this season, and cut back drastically on the turnovers. While it wasn't his best game, I thought he played good enough to win the game.
As far as the penalties go, I can't really complain. It's unfortunate to see lots of flags in the closing minutes, but the biggest break of the game clearly went the Bengals way when Higgins face-masked Ramsey. To be fair, I think Ramsey played a pretty bad game and that was actually pretty shitty coverage on that play, but that still should've been called. I did think Ramsey got a way with a hold on Higgins at the goal line, but the 75-yard touchdown was the most significant play of the game. Did Wilson hold on that 3rd down play? It appears not, but I don't think it cost us the game honestly. Rams sustained a great drive when they had to, and deserved the win.
As a lifelong Bengals fan, I don't think I've ever seen our defense play so well against the run. That was the biggest factor that gave them a chance to win, in my opinion. They just simply never let the Rams establish a running rhythm, which frankly surprised me. I thought the Rams were going to rush in the neighborhood of 100-150 yards and take the game out of Stafford's hands, but that simply didn't happen. Props to this defense for being so dominant.
It's nice to see a lot these guys - Donald, Whitworth, Stafford, Kupp - get a ring. They are tremendous players and great guys. It hurts to lose, but I'm happy to see those guys all get rings -- particularly Whitworth after giving us a solid decade in Cincinnati.
It's hard to get to Super Bowls and the odds are pretty much always against you, but I think the Bengals have as good a chance as anyone going forward. They have a ton of cap space, and their two best players are on rookie deals for 2-3 more years. Obviously we have to beef up the O-line, and this draft thankfully has a ton of good ones. We should be able to get a nice one in free agency as well, and hopefully another decent CB. AFC is gonna competitive, but I think the Bengals are going to be in the mix for a while.
Rams won this game for two primary reasons:
- Their defensive line, as most expected, eventually wore down the weaker Bengals offensive line
- Stafford and Cupp made plays down the stretch when they had to
I thought overall this was a pretty even game. In my prediction, I felt that the formula for Cincinnati was to do what they have done in the sense they win the turnover battle (they did), and their offensive line hold up just enough to give Burrow enough opportunities to make some plays down the stretch (they did not)
I thought the quarterback battle was fairly even in this game.
I would say that while Stafford made more poor throw and mistakes, he also made more great throws in this game, especially at the end. The Stafford narrative was a little confusing heading into these playoffs; he was sort of talked about like a choker of sorts, but I more viewed him as someone who basically has no experience on the big stages. I think the end zone pick was not a great decision, but the receiver kind of fucked up on that one too. The deflected pick in the third quarter was not a well thrown ball, but again just a bit of bad luck. He looked poised in the first quarter, and then again on that final drive.
I thought Burrow played a good game, but not a great one. He seemed a little bit nervous early on, but he got pretty comfortable in the 2nd and 3rd quarters. I think he missed a throw or two that could've possibly swung the outcome - the one that comes to mind is when he threw a ball too low for Chase late in the third that would have moved the sticks. It seems like the injury may turn out to be semi-serious, and I wonder if it impacted the play calling a bit on their last drive (staying in shot gun instead of going under center on those last two plays). Burrow obviously suffered from a lack of protection down the stretch, so that needs to be factored in. He grew up a lot as a quarterback this season, and cut back drastically on the turnovers. While it wasn't his best game, I thought he played good enough to win the game.
As far as the penalties go, I can't really complain. It's unfortunate to see lots of flags in the closing minutes, but the biggest break of the game clearly went the Bengals way when Higgins face-masked Ramsey. To be fair, I think Ramsey played a pretty bad game and that was actually pretty shitty coverage on that play, but that still should've been called. I did think Ramsey got a way with a hold on Higgins at the goal line, but the 75-yard touchdown was the most significant play of the game. Did Wilson hold on that 3rd down play? It appears not, but I don't think it cost us the game honestly. Rams sustained a great drive when they had to, and deserved the win.
As a lifelong Bengals fan, I don't think I've ever seen our defense play so well against the run. That was the biggest factor that gave them a chance to win, in my opinion. They just simply never let the Rams establish a running rhythm, which frankly surprised me. I thought the Rams were going to rush in the neighborhood of 100-150 yards and take the game out of Stafford's hands, but that simply didn't happen. Props to this defense for being so dominant.
It's nice to see a lot these guys - Donald, Whitworth, Stafford, Kupp - get a ring. They are tremendous players and great guys. It hurts to lose, but I'm happy to see those guys all get rings -- particularly Whitworth after giving us a solid decade in Cincinnati.
It's hard to get to Super Bowls and the odds are pretty much always against you, but I think the Bengals have as good a chance as anyone going forward. They have a ton of cap space, and their two best players are on rookie deals for 2-3 more years. Obviously we have to beef up the O-line, and this draft thankfully has a ton of good ones. We should be able to get a nice one in free agency as well, and hopefully another decent CB. AFC is gonna competitive, but I think the Bengals are going to be in the mix for a while.
