Picking the winner of The Big Game!
The Bleeding Green Nation writers picks are in for Super Bowl LVI!
The Los Angeles Rams are the favorites to beat the Cincinnati Bengals, according to DraftKings Sportsbook. Despite this, a majority of BGN writers are actually betting on Joe Burrow’s side.
When it comes to BGN’s pick standings, there’s another reason why this Super Bowl holds such high stakes. And it’s because I’m in a tie for first place with the collective BGN community. If you vote for the same pick as me, you’re locking us into the same overall record, which is no fun. But I would win the tiebreaker due to better playoff picking.
Feel free to post your own predictions or discuss the writer predictions in the comments. You can also vote for who you think will win by using the poll beneath the table.
EXPLANATIONS
BRANDON LEE GOWTON
I really want the Bengals to win. One could argue no one believed in them more than me. I made them my Super Bowl pick from the AFC prior to the playoffs even beginning.
From January 12, 2022: “I think the Bengals have something really special going on. And I know [with] Joe Burrow, it’s not often that these young quarterbacks go on deep runs in the playoffs in their first time here. But he looks like the real deal. And who’s going to stop Ja’Marr Chase? No one has been able to, or not a lot of people have been able to thus far. And obviously Tee Higgins is there as well. So, I really like what the Bengals have going on for them heading into the playoffs. I think they’re going to be a dangerous team.”
Now that I’m done breaking my arm by patting myself on the back so much, allow me to be a total coward and take the Rams to win instead. It’s not that I’ve abandoned ship on Burrow. It’s just that I really, REALLY don’t want to live in a world where Sean McVay is a Super Bowl champion. So, I have to do the emotional hedge here. Also, it’s probably my best chance of beating you all in the BGN pick standings since you’re probably going to go with Cincy. I’ll gladly cede the victory to you if it means the Bengals win the Super Bowl.
SHAMUS CLANCY
The Rams should win this game. They have the advantage when it comes to coaching and have the superior defense. Los Angeles has just as much, if not more, star power than the Bengals do offensively. This is all true, yet I can’t shake away the urge to pick Cincinnati. From a purely “vibes” perspective, I can’t go against Joe Burrow and this squad. Perhaps I’m picking more with my head than my heart here because of how likeable Burrow is and how much I loathe Sean McVay, but I will go down swinging picking the team that feels more like the “team of destiny.”
LEE SIFFORD
Joe Burrow fever is spreading like a new pandemic and this kid can’t be stopped. After usurping Pat Mahomes and the seemingly unbeatable Chiefs, it’s hard to see a scenerio where Sean McVay can be creative enough to stop this Bengals team. It’ll be weird to see an AFC North team win that isn’t from Pittsburgh or Baltimore but every great era has to come to an end eventually. Look for a blowout. Bengals 27, Rams 10.
ALEXIS CHASSEN
Not only do I think that Cincinnati has what it takes on the field to beat the Rams, but I also think they have that momentum and swagger that the oft-underdog needs to pull off this kind of Super Bowl victory. Sure, the Matthew Stafford storyline could illicit the same type of narrative, but do you remember how bad the Bengals were just a couple years ago? Even them getting to the playoffs in the past decade didn’t really matter because we all knew they wouldn’t advance. But now, things are different. They have that thing that feels similar to the Eagles in 2017. The football Gods are on their side. And that’s why I think they’ll finally get their Championship win on Sunday in L.A.
JOHN STOLNIS
This is a heart and head pick. Let’s be clear, the Bengals played a far better game than the Rams last Sunday, against a much tougher opponent. I’m honestly not sure why the Rams are favorites in this one. Both came into the postseason as No. 4 seeds and the Bengals have had a tougher road through the postseason. I mean, they’ve beaten the Raiders, the No. 1 seed Titans and the No. 2 seed Chiefs. In fact, they beat Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs TWICE this season. Not only that, I have no confidence that Sean McVay won’t do something to screw things up on Sunday, although so far, Matthew Stafford, Cooper Kupp and the defense have been enough to overcome it. But I’m all-in on the Bengals winning their first ever Super Bowl on Sunday. I think they are, quite simply, the better team. Bengals 30, Rams 20.
BEN NATAN
This is a tough pick. The Rams are coming off an incredibly prolific offensive season and are bursting with talent on the defensive side of the ball. They’re battle tested after playoff wins against two extremely tough teams and they have the veteran presence on both sides of the ball. The thing is… They *should* be here while the Bengals have miraculously willed their way to the Super Bowl. Cincinnati is a young team with huge weaknesses along their offensive line, but I just can’t shake what Underdog Confidence can do for a team. They got Joe Burrow. They got Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, Joe Mixon and Tyler Boyd. They have a defense that foiled three prolific offenses so far in these playoffs. Everything in my brain is saying Rams, but the heart In this Bengals team is something I’d bet on.
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