This Sunday, the NFC Champion Los Angeles Rams are ready to face the AFC Champion Cincinnati Bengals in Super Bowl LVI. There’s a lot to look forward to this weekend, and sportsbooks are going out of their way to give themselves a boost.

Bengals Cover Spread Once Again

The Bengals are four-point underdogs in Sunday’s matchup. However, they had no problems covering the spread against the top two seeds in the AFC in the last two playoff games, where they were also the underdog. 

They are 7-0 against the spread in their last seven games overall. The defense has kept things close, and the team has taken advantage of getting takeaways at the perfect times in these playoffs, which have helped them secure victories as they have only given up 19.5 points per game this postseason.

One of the things the Bengals must continue to do for this game is to protect QB Joe Burrow, who was sacked 51 times in the regular season but only once against the Chiefs in the AFC Championship. 

The offensive line has the task of containing the Rams’ pass rush that had 50 sacks in the regular season but only five so far in the postseason. It could be a long day for the Rams’ secondary if Burrow isn’t constantly pressured and has time to throw the ball. 

Rams Secondary is Key To Victory

Los Angeles opened as four-point favorites to win, with the line moving very little since last week. Everyone expects the Rams to put a lot of pressure on the Bengals’ QB in this matchup, but the key to victory is the matchups in the secondary.

Jalen Ramsey will be matched up against Rookie of the Year Ja’Maar Chase and should be able to contain him in this game. The Bengals’ secondary will have a tough task trying to stop Matthew Stafford from hooking up with NFL Offensive Player of the Year WR Cooper Kupp.  

This isn’t the matchup experts anticipated for this game when the regular season began, as it will be the first time two number-four playoff seeds will meet each other in the big game. 

The Rams are designated as the visiting team in the game, even though they are playing on their home field at SoFi Stadium. Los Angeles has covered the spread in eight of their last nine games but is just 1-5 against the spread in their last six games vs. AFC opponents. 

So, who’s going to win? This looks like it will be a great game, but the Rams have a slight advantage. They have more experience in high-pressure situations and more strength on the offensive line. The Rams when in a game that stays under.