SUPER BOWL LVI: SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2022
Los Angeles Rams (15-5) vs Cincinnati Bengals (13-7)
SUNDAY, FEB. 13, 2022 // 6:30 PM ET // SOFI STADIUM // REFEREE: RON TORBERT TV: NBC (6:30 PM ET): Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth, Michele Tafoya & Kathryn Tappen (field reporters) NATIONAL RADIO: Westwood One: Kevin Harlan, Kurt Warner, Laura Okmin & Mike Golic (field reporters) SIRIUS: 82 (LAR), 85 (Cin.), 88 (National) | XM: 226 (LAR), 225 (Cin.), 88 (National) | SXM App: 818 (LAR), 806 (Cin.)
- The team wearing white jerseys have won 14 of the last 17 Super Bowl games. It is a run that began with the Patriots win over the Eagles in Super Bowl XXXIX (the Packers in Super Bowl XLV, the Eagles over Patriots in Super Bowl LI and the Chiefs over the 49ers last season are the exceptions).
- Teams wearing white have gone 33-22 in the Super Bowl.
- Teams leading at the end of the 3rd quarter are 43-9 all-time in the Super Bowl. They are 6-6 in the past 13 however (tied in 2019). In Super Bowl 39 the Eagles and Patriots were tied 14-14 after 3 and in Super Bowl LIII the Patriots and Rams were tied 3-3 after 3..
- Average total points scored by quarter in the Super Bowl:
- 1st: 8.3
- 2nd: 13.3
- 3rd: 10.4
- 4th: 13.2
- OT: 6
- Longest active streak of colleges with a player on an active Super Bowl roster (counting this season):
- Georgia & LSU 21
- Florida 20
- For a 17th consecutive season, the NFL will have a new Super Bowl champion, extending the longest streak without a repeat winner in league history. The last team to win consecutive Super Bowls was the 2003-04 New England Patriots.
- Including Cincinnati on Sunday, five of the last 12 teams to appear in the Super Bowl missed the playoffs the previous season. Prior to the Bengals, the 2020 Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 2019 San Francisco 49ers, 2017 Philadelphia Eagles and 2016 Atlanta Falcons reached that pinnacle after missing the playoffs the prior season.
- NFL teams have a remarkable record of resiliency. Since 2000, the Bengals are the fifth team to go from “worst to first” in their division and make the Super Bowl in the same season. Three of the four prior teams to do that – the 2017 Eagles, 2009 Saints and 2001 Patriots – won the Super Bowl.
- Sean McMay is just the 25th head coach in NFL history to appear in more than one Super Bowl
- This is the second consecutive season and also just the second time in nine years that the Super Bowl has featured a team that was not a number one or two seed in the playoffs
- This will be the youngest matchup of Super Bowl head coaches ever. And the first time both head coaches are under 40
- Both the Rams and Bengals were No. 4 seeds, matching the highest combined seeding in a Super Bowl since seeding began in 1975, marking the 1st time that both Super Bowl teams were the No. 4 or lower seed & the 1st Super Bowl since the NFL started seeding postseason teams in 1975 that does not feature at least 1 team who was seeded No. 1 or No. 2.
- Matthew Stafford and QB Joe Burrow will be the second starting quarterback matchup between two number one overall picks in the Super Bowl. Peyton Manning and Cam Newton were the first to do this in Super Bowl 50.
- The Los Angeles Rams are the first team to host a Conference Championship and the Super Bowl two weeks later. Last year Tampa Bay was the first team to play a Super Bowl in their home stadium.
- This season the Bengals had 42 pass plays of 25+ yards, tied for the second most in the NFL, the Rams had 41, tied for fourth
- The Bengals (12) and Rams (10) ranked first and second in the NFL in 50+yard pass plays in 2021
- Joe Burrow can join Joe Montana and Joe Namath as the only starting quarterbacks to win both a consensus college football national title and a Super Bowl.
- This will be the fourth time ever that both starting QBs played college in the SEC. The prior three were:
- Peyton Manning vs Cam Newton Super Bowl L
- Peyton Manning vs Rex Grossman Super Bowl XLI
- Ken Stabler vs Fran Tarkenton Super Bowl XI
UNIFORM INSIGHT
- The Rams went 7-1 in their bone uniforms this year, but just 1-2 in their white throwbacks they will be wearing in the Super Bowl.
- This season Cincinnati is 1-1 when wearing the combo of black jersey, white pants with orange stripes and orange socks that they will be wearing in the Super Bowl
SERIES
| RAMS | BENGALS | |
| LEADER | 8-6 | |
| STREAKS | Have won 3 of the last 4 meetings | |
| COACHES PLAYOFF RECORD | Sean McVay 5-2 | Zac Taylor 3-0 |
| VS. COMMON OPP. | LAR: 5-3 (1-0 Bal, 1-0 Chi, 1-0 Det, 0-1 GB, 1-0 Jax, 1-0 Min, 0-2 SF)CIN: 5-3 (2-0 Bal, 0-1 Chi, 1-0 Det, 0-1 GB, 1-0 Jax, 1-0 Min, 0-1 SF) | |
| PLAYOFF RECORD | 25-27 | 8-14 |
| LAST GAME | W 20-17 vs San Francisco | W 27-24 at Kansas City |
| LAST MEETING | October 27, 2019 24-10 Rams win in London | |
| LAST PLAYOFF | First Postseason Meeting | |
| REFEREE | Ron Torbert |
REGULAR-SEASON STAT LEADERS
| PASSING | Matthew Stafford: 404-601 4,886 yards 41 TDs 17 INT, 102.9 rating | Joe Burrow: 366-520, 4,611yards 34 TDs 14 INT, 108.3 rating |
| RUSHING | Sony Michel: 208 rushed 845 yards 4 TDs | Joe Mixon 292 rushes, 1,205 yards 13 TDs |
| RECEIVING | Cooper Kupp 145 rec, 1947 yds, 16 TD | Ja’Marr Chase 81 rec, 1,455 yards, 13 TDs |
| OFFENSE | 272.1 | 361.5 |
| DEFENSE | 344.9 | 350.8 |
NOTES
RAMS:
- The Rams have been the most successful defense in the 2021 playoffs to force their opponents to a fourth-down situation. Rams opponents have converted just 18.8% of third downs this postseason
- Sean McVay is 47-1 when his team has the lead at halftime.
- Sean McVay is the fifth individual in league history to advance to two Super Bowls within his first five seasons as an NFL head coach
- The Rams had 50 sacks as a team in 2021, the third most in the NFL
- Los Angeles allowed just 3.96 yards per carry in 2021, the fifth best mark in the NFL
- Matthew Stafford has 905 passing yards through three playoff games this season. This ranks 22nd all-time in single postseason records, but he has one more game to throw for 314 passing yards and catch the record holder, former Giants QB Eli Manning’s 1,219 passing yards in 2011. He also ranks fifth in single postseason Passer Rating (115.6) history, (of QBs with at least 100 pass attempts).
- Cooper Kupp has 386 receiving yards over the three postseason games this year. That currently ranks eighth all time, and he only needs 161-yards in the Super Bowl to break the single postseason record. Kupp also has four receiving TDs this postseason which ranks tied for seventh all-time. He needs just three to tie former Cardinals WR Larry Fitzgerald for the record (seven rec. TDs).
- Cooper Kupp had an NFL leading 23 receptions of at least 25 yards this season
- Matthew Stafford was 2nd in NFL in TD passes (41), 3rd in pass yards (4,886) & 6th in rating (102.9) in 2021. Passed for 337 yards & 2 TDs vs. 1 INT for 96.2 rating in NFC-C vs. SF. Is 2nd QB ever (Patrick Mahomes, 2019) with multiple playoff games with 200+ pass yards, 2+ TD passes & 1+ rush TD in single postseason. Is 1 of 4 QBs to average 300+ pass yards per playoff game (302.2) all-time (min. 5 games).
- Cam Akers has 485 scrimmage yards (97 per game) & 2 rush TDs in 5 career playoff games
- Cooper Kupp led the NFL with 145 catches, 1,947 rec. yards & 16 rec. TDs in 2021, 2nd-most catches & 2nd-most rec. yards in single-season in NFL history. Has 13 100-yard games & 11 games with 100+ rec. yards & TD catch, both most in single season, incl. playoffs, all-time. Had 11 catches for 142 yards & 2 rec. TDs in NFC-C vs. SF. Can become 3rd player ever with 30+ catches in single postseason
- Odell Bekcham Jr. had 9 catches for 113 yards in NFC-C vs. SF & Rams became 5th team in SB era with 2+ 100-yard WRs in same Conf. Champ game.
- Aaron Donald had 12.5 sacks in 2021 & became the 4th player since 1982 with 8+ sacks in each of 1st 8 seasons. Has 4 sacks & 8 TFL in 9 postseason games
- Von Miller has 8.5 sacks & 10 TFL in 10 career playoff games. Has 6.5 sacks in 7 career games vs. Cin. Had 2.5 sacks & was named SB MVP in SB 50 with Denver
- Jalen Ramsey had 2 PD in NFC-C vs. SF. Was the only player with 15+ PD (16) & 5+ TFL (9) in 2021.
Bengals:
- Cincinnati is the first team in NFL history with a 4,000 yard passer, 1,000 yard rusher and two 1,000 yard receivers all under the age of 26.
- Cincinnati during the regular season allowed just 40 third-quarter points, second-fewest in the NFL behind Buffalo. The Bengals outscored their competition 102-40 in the third quarter during the regular season, good for a plus-62 point differential that was third-best league wide behind only Buffalo (plus-70) and Green Bay (plus-63)
- The Bengals scored a combined 63 points in the last two minutes of the first half during the 2021 regular season. That total was fourth among all NFL teams
- Cincinnati scored 56 points on their opening drive of the second half this season, the second most in the NFL (Rams were third with 54)
- The Bengals have allowed just 10 combined third-quarter points over their last six games (including playoffs), and all 10 of those came in the divisional playoff win at Tennessee
- This regular season Joe Burrow had 15 TD passes of at least 30 yards, the most-ever by a Bengal
- The Bengals were fifth in the NFL this season in rushing defense allowing 102.5 rush yards per game
- Ja’Marr Chase had an NFL leading six receptions of at least 50 yards this season
- Ja’Marr Chase s the first rookie in NFL history with multiple 100-yard receiving games in the postseason
- Evan McPherson has made 12 FGs, the most for a career in Bengals postseason history
- Ja’Marr Chase has 20 receptions, one shy of WR Cris Collinsworth (21) for second place in Bengals postseason history. TE Dan Ross (28) is the all time leader.
- Joe Burrow set franchise records in pass yards (4,611) & TD passes (34) this season. Ranked 2nd in NFL with 108.3 rating. Can become 1st QB ever drafted 1st overall to start SB within 1st 2 seasons & 7th 2nd-year QB to start in SB. Has Cin. franchise-record 842 pass yards this postseason.
- Joe Mixon had 115 scrimmage yards (88 rush, 27 rec.) in AFC-C at KC. Has 296 scrimmage yards (98.7 per game) & rush TD in 2021 postseason. Ranked 3rd in NFL with career-high 1,205 rush yards & 4th with career-high 13 rush TDs this season
- Ja’Marr Chase is the 1st rookie ever with 100+ rec. yards in multiple playoff games & has 279 rec. yards in 2021 playoffs, most-ever by a rookie in postseason history. Ranked 4th in NFL with 1,455 rec. yards this season, most by a rookie in the SB era, & 3rd with 13 rec. TDs
- Tee Higgins led the Bengals with 103 rec. yards in AFC-C at KC & aims for his 3rd playoff game in row with 95+ rec. Yards
- Trey Hendrickson was 5th in NFL with career-high 14 sacks this season & is 1 of 2 in NFL (T.J. Watt) with 13+ sacks in each of the past 2 seasons. Had 1.5 sacks in AFC-C at KC
- Jessie bates has five passes defended this postseason