Both the Rams and the Bengals won their division and came into the playoffs as the 4th seed in their respective conferences. The Bengals went 10-7 and won the AFC North. The Rams went 12-5 and won the NFC West. The Rams have a statistically better defense than the Bengals, beating the Bengals in yards allowed per game, and in points allowed per game. The Rams allowed 344.9 yards per game and 21.9 points per game, while the Bengals allowed 350.8 yards per game and 22.1 points per game. The Rams are also statistically better on offense than the Bengals, beating the Bengals in yards per game. The Rams averaged 372.1 yards per game, and the Bengals averaged 361.5 yards per game. The Bengals and the Rams have both averaged the same amount of points per game, averaging 27.1 points per game. Both the Bengals and the Rams have some of the NFL’s premier passing attacks. Those passing attacks start with the two signal callers, Joe Burrow and Matthew Stafford. Both teams also have some of the best receiving cores in the NFL. The Bengals have second team All-Pro and offensive rookie of the year, Ja’Marr Chase. They also have Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd. The Rams have first team All-Pro and offensive player of the year, Cooper Kupp. They also have former All-Pro receiver Odell Beckham Jr. Both the Rams and Bengals have some of the weakest secondaries in the league. The Rams allow 241.7 passing yards per game, while the Bengals allow 248.4 passing yards per game. Even though they do have weak secondaries, both teams have a star player on the secondary. The Rams have Jalen Ramsey, and the Bengals have Jessie Bates III. The Rams have a huge offensive line advantage. The Rams offensive line allowed a total of 31 sacks which was the 7th least sacks allowed. The Bengals offensive line has been their biggest problem this season, allowing 55 sacks this season. This was 3rd most among all NFL teams. The Rams defensive line has been their strongest part of their team this year. The strong Rams defensive line should be problematic for the Bengals as their weakest part of their team is their offensive line. The Rams had 50 total team sacks. This was 3rd most in the NFL this season. The Rams have some huge disruptors on the defensive line. They have 3 time defensive player of the year, Aaron Donald. They also have former all-pro Von Miller. Lastly, they have Leonard Floyd who has 20 sacks in the past 2 seasons. If the Bengals offensive line struggled against the slightly above average Titans defensive line, by giving 9 sacks, then how bad will they struggle against the amazing Rams pass rush. This will put Bengals quarterback and running back, Joe Burrow and Joe Mixon, in a rough situation.
Prediction: Rams win 34-30
Super Bowl MVP prediction: Aaron Donald