Superbowl LVI - The road to glory this season for Cincinnati and the LA Rams
Written by Tom Wyman
The NFL is often blessed with tantalising storylines, but the recent chapter written by the Cincinnati Bengals is one for the ages.
Their story starts in February 2019, whenpresidentMike Brown announced the hiring of Zac Taylor to replace long-time head coach Marvin Lewis.
A former quarterback at Wake Forrest, Taylor went undrafted and never played a game in the NFL; only making it as far as Tampa Bay’s off-season squad before being cut.
After working at Texas A&M for a number of years, Taylor landed his first coaching gig in the NFL with the Miami Dolphins in 2015 as assistant quarterbacks coach.
He progressed up the ranks and served as interim offensive coordinator for five games after Bill Lazor’s firing, earning respect for his work with quarterback Ryan Tannehill – whom he would later defeat en route to Superbowl 56.
In 2016, Taylor landed the offensive coordinator job with the University of CincinnatiBearcats.
His stint in Cincinnati was short-lived however, as the Los Angeles Rams hired him as assistant wide receivers coach a year later.
Taylor eventually took the reins as quarterbacks coach in Los Angeles,but it wouldn’t be long before he returned to Ohio.
The Bengalsfought hard but would eventually fall to Seattle in Taylor’s first game at the helm of the Bengals.
At 0-11, outsiders could be forgiven for questioning Taylor’s appointment.
The team managed just two wins for the season to finish with the worst record in the league.
Armed with the number one pick, Mike Brown stuck to his guns and backed Taylor in for another season.
Louisiana State quarterback Joe Burrow was the obvious pick one candidate.
A Heisman Trophy winner and national champion, Burrow would provide the Bengals with talent and stability in the most important position on the field.
And that he did, performing well in his rookie season before a torn ACL ended his year prematurely.
Burrow led the team to 2-6-1 before his injury, showing glimpses of what was to come.
The defence,which had marginally improved under Taylor, was bolstered by the free agency acquisition of defensive end Trey Hendrickson from New Orleans.
But despite a strong rookie season from wide receiver Tee Higgins and reliable years from Tyler Boyd and Joe Mixon, the Bengals still needed more weapons for Burrow.
The Bengals side has somewhat been built around superstar Joe Burrow - Photo credit: The Sporting News
Using the fifth pick in the draft, Cincinnati delivered on their promise to surround Burrow with resources by reuniting him with star wideout Ja’Marr Chase.
Burrow and Chase connected for 20 touchdowns and 1,780 yards during LSU’s undefeated 2019 season. Things were very quickly looking up for Taylor’s team.
They would also use pick 149 to draft a kicker out of Florida, Ewan McPherson.He was the only kicker drafted that year.
The Bengals 2021/22 season began with a thrilling overtime win over the Minnesota Vikings, but they would struggle to piece together more than two wins in a row to enter the round ten bye week with a 5-4 record.
Cincinnati’s second half of the season was much the same, but crucial wins over divisional rivals Pittsburgh (Week 12), Baltimore (Week 16), as well as a nail-biting four-point win over Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefssaw the Bengals claim both the AFC North title; subsequently taking the fourth seed.
Perhaps more importantly than any title or ranking though, the Bengals now had confidence.
They had already eclipsed all expectations, so any further progress was viewed as a bonus.
Burrow’s two touchdowns and 244 passing yardsled the Bengals past the Las Vegas Raiders in the first week of the playoffs.
Coach Taylor would meet long-time friend Ryan Tannehill in the divisional round. Tannehill had come a long way since Miami, but a late field goal from McPherson as time expired ensured Taylor’s team had the last laugh.
So it was onto Kansas City for these persistent Bengals.
And if it appeared a daunting task before kick-off, things didn’tlookany brighter when Burrow’s team trailed 21-3 in the second quarter with tight-end C.J. Uzomah out for the game with a knee injury.
However, a goal-line stop in the shadows of half-time gave the Bengals a boost heading into the break.
They’d come out and exchange three-and-outs, before Burrow led the Bengals down the field and McPherson put up the field goal.
Evan McPherson has become a Cincinnati in recent weeks, and for good reason - Photo credit: Jay Biggerstaff
With the Chiefs looking to move the chains as the fourth quarter approached, defensive tackle B.J. Hill – who recently joined the Bengals in the off-season from the Giants –batted down Mahomes’ pass to secure a vital interception.
Burrow connected with Ja’Marr Chase in the endzone to strike fear into the hearts of Chiefs kingdom.
He then found Trent Taylor with the two-point conversion to tie things up.
Taylor was also a recent acquisition.
Signed to the practice squad in the off-season, he was promoted to the active squad the day before the game and here he was, catching an end-zone pass from Burrow in-front of 73,000 screaming Chiefs fans.
Joe Burrow always had it, so too Ja’Marr Chase and Mike Brown, but now the entire Bengals franchise had belief.
The two young quarterbacks would both be sacked in the fourth quarter, but some brilliant rushing from Burrow himself helped set up the 52-yard field goal for ‘shooter’ McPherson; which of-course he nailed.
The Bengals were again able to keep the Chiefs out of the endzone, but kicker Harrison Butker sent the game into overtime as time expired in regulation.
When the Chiefs won the coin toss to secure possession, the NFL world assumed Kansas City had all-but made it to their third-straight Superbowl.
It was a fair assessment too, considering the events of the previous week.
Plus, how could we trust Cincinnati, a team who had struggled to stayrelevant for years?
Its last playoff win prior to this season came in 1990 – six years before their sophomore quarterback was born.
But just as they had done all playoffs, another vital interception by the Cincinnati defence put the ball back into the hands of ‘Joey Cool’.
With the composure and poise of an esteemed veteran, just as he’d done at LSU, Burrow marched his team down the field andpresented McPherson with the chance to send Cincinnati, yes Cincinnati, to LA.
The 31-yard attempt was never in-doubt, and that’s why you draft a kicker.
These Bengals, led by a head coach who never played an NFL game and a quarterback who was forced to either transferout of Ohio State or play backup to Dwayne Haskins, had completed the most dramatic turnaround in NFL history.
Athough rightful underdogs, Cincinnati have a lot of new fans on their backs for tomorrow's Superbowl - Photo credit: Sam Greene
Then, of course, there is the Los Angeles Rams.
The Rams have their own story to tell, butit’svery different to that of those Bengals.
The Rams entered the 2021/22 season full of hope and optimism, having discarded Jared Goff and pluckedstar quarterback Matthew Stafford from the football wasteland that is Detroit.
Management worked off the basis they were an upgrade at quarterback away from the Lombardi.
Make no bones about it, Stafford came to Los Angeles with Superbowl expectations.
The Rams proved they had the talent by making it all the way to the big dance in 2018.
Now with Stafford in the door, the Rams boasted two of the best players in the league on both sides of the ball.
Defensive lineman Aaron Donald has been the poster boy in LA since the team moved back to the Californiafrom St. Louis in 2016.
The most dominant tackle in the league at his best, teams have been trying to stop him for years to no avail.
Now a seven-time first team All-Pro and three-time defensive player of the year, Donald will ruin the day of your offence when allowed to run wild.
Matthew Stafford and the Rams’ started the season strongly, recording wins over Chicago, Indianapolis, and Tampa Bay before going down to divisional rivals Arizona in week four.
The Rams then faced and easily accounted for four non-playoff teams, before dropping points against Tennessee, San Francisco and, after a bye, the Green Bay Packers.
Naturally, and quite understandably, the doubters picked apart these Rams losses, filing stories claiming the team were sound against lesser opponents, but struggled when it came to playoff-calibre opposition.
Sean McVay and the Rams were still working out how to best incorporate recently acquired superstarreceiverOdell Beckham Jr.
A couple of catches and a touchdown in a blowout win over Jacksonville gave Odell and Los Angeles the confidence he craved.
Despite a second loss to the 49ers in the final round of the regular season,the Rams had built a threatening offence capable of scoring at any moment.
Cooper Kuppis seemingly alwaysopen, Odell Beckham Jr. is capable of the unbelievable and appeared to be thriving in the City of Angels.
Not to forget, the Rams now had a quarterback with the talent to match the receiving core.
Always open, always catching; Cooper Kupp has been exceptional for the Rams of late - Photo credit: The Sporting News
The running back duo of Cam Akers and Sony Michel was working well when McVay opted to run the ball, and that terrific defence, led by Donald and all-pro cornerback Jalen Ramsey, continued to deliver.
After claiming the highly competitive NFC West title, the fourth-seed Rams strolled past a hapless Cardinals in the wildcard round to set-up a mouth-watering divisional match with Tom Brady and the Buccaneers in Florida.
In what would later prove to be his last NFL match, Brady was unable to make up for a slow start as Stafford’s men advanced to the NFC Championship game full of confidence.
Standing in their way was a fast-finishing San Francisco side that had beaten the Rams in both of their regular-season encounters.
The first quarter failed to yield a score for both teams, before 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo found Deebo Samuel and George Kittle for touchdowns to take a ten-point advantage heading into the final quarter.
Los Angeles brought in Staffordand Beckham Jr. for situations like this – on the big-stage with all to play for.
And the stars delivered in the crunch time.Donald made the match winning sack, Beckham recorded season-high receptions and yards, while Stafford led the Rams down the field to throw his team to a home Superbowl.
The story of Eric Weddle is also noteworthy.
The safety had come out of retirement to join the Rams playoffs tilt.
A good call in hindsight.
It was an off-season gamble that simply had to work.
But when the Rams run out onto their new shiny stadium in Superbowl 56, no one will be more determined to prove that gamble right than Matt Stafford.
Out of retirement and into the Superbowl; Eric Widdle everybody - Photo credit: The Ranswire
So it’s Burrow and Stafford, two number one picks delivering on the big stage.
Both incredibly talented and likeable, and both terrific leaders of men.
Quarterbacks in every sense of the word.
They’ve revolutionised their respective franchises in short amounts of time, and will be desperate to finish the job.
It’s Zac Taylor and Sean McVay, a battle of the two youngest head coaches in the league.
Neither stepped foot on an NFL stage as a player, but they have found their feet as head coaches.
McVay led the Rams to the Superbowl in his second year and another in this his fourth season, Taylor has done it in his third.
And it’s Ja’Marr Chase and Odell Beckham Jr., two first-round wide-receivers from LSU.
Ja’Marr already dominating at the start of his career, OBJ determined to win his first Lombardi Trophy at his third team.
Both are set to play pivotal roles at So-Fi Stadium.
Perhaps for once, Los Angeles doesn’t boast the Hollywood script.
That now belongs to a kid from Iowa and a team from working-class Cincinnati.
Whichever way the wind blows tomorrow, a decider between the Rams and Bengals seems a fitting way to end one of the greatest NFL seasons in recent memory.