Our staff predicts Super Bowl LVI winner

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The Los Angeles Rams and Cincinnati Bengals are vying for the Lombardi Trophy in Super Bowl LVI on Sunday.

With Super Bowl LVI on Sunday at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, we asked our panel of experts who they think will win the NFL’s title game between the Los Angeles Rams and the Cincinnati Bengals. Here are their insights and predictions for the game, which kicks off at 3:30 p.m. on NBC.

Tanner Curtis, sports editor

The Rams are going to win the Super Bowl this weekend. The Bengals have had an incredible Cinderella season, but the firepower on both the offensive and defensive side of the ball for the Rams will be too much to handle. 

The key matchup will be the shakey offensive line of the Bengals against the elite Rams defensive line. If Aaron Donald and Von Miller are able to get to Burrow early and often, that could completely shut down the Bengals explosive offense. The Rams offense isn’t something to overlook either. While the Bengals defense has improved a lot throughout the season with additions like De Trey Hendrickson and Cb Chidobe Awuzie, they can be inconsistent at times. 

In the end, the Rams are going to come out with more firepower and win in a close game. 

Prediction: Rams 27-24

Michael Zarich, staff writer

I got the Rams winning this one because of that defense. Their front seven will be way too much for the Bengals offensive line, which is one of the worst in the league. Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow will be under constant duress and they won’t be able to get enough rhythm going to match the Rams offense. 

The Rams as a whole are made for this moment and have been preparing all year for this game. They will come out in their home stadium fast and with a lot of energy, Head coach Sean McVay, whose team lost the Super Bowl to the New England Patriots in 2019, will out-coach Zac Taylor and come out with a strong game plan for the offense early on. 

Expect the Bengals will make a few plays on defense to keep them in it, and Burrow will try to do everything he can to win, but the Rams starpower is going to put this one away.

Prediction: Rams 30-24

Vishwas Balla, staff writer

The Rams will most likely take this win, but with the Bengals performing their best in years, and the Rams having a near perfect playoff run, it’s not easy to pick one team over the other. This game comes down to how the Bengals offensive line plans on stopping Aaron Donald and keeping wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase open for Burrow. 

Although I really hope that the Bengals are able to pull through and secure their first superbowl win it seems unlikely since the Rams have the upper hand purley due to having a much stronger lineup on both offense and defense. 

Prediction: Rams 30-27

Abhinav Purohit: 

The Bengals are going to win the big game! The once bottom feeders of the NFL were able to turn it around in two seasons with the one and only Burrow. But as the Bengals head into the Super Bowl, they face the equally talented Los Angeles Rams. It will be interesting to see how Burrow holds up against the pressure of the Ram’s defense, which has been spectacular in the playoffs, especially when they clinched the conference championship by pressuring the 49ers during the last minutes of the game. 

But let’s not forget about the Bengals defense too. With the young quarterback and his main reciever Ja’Marr Chase, the Super Bowl will be a tough one for the Bengals to win, but they will push through and win it! 

Prediction: Bengals 27-24

Dylan Allen: I’m taking the Bengals this year to win it all. Yes, the Rams have a much better chance because of their superior team, but Burrow has been taking down the bigger teams this entire year. The Rams have a better offensive line, better defense, a better head coach, and more experience in the playoffs, but pretty much everyone the Bengals have beaten so far fit that same description. 

This game is going to come down to the Bengals O-line vs. the Rams D-line. Donald is going to cause some problems for one of the league’s worst pass protection lines, but Burrow got sacked nine times against the Titans and was pressured 42 percent of plays and they won both those games. The Rams are going to get a few sacks at the least, but Burrow has kept his cool even when he was down 18 on the road in Kansas City against Patrick Mahomes. He’s creating a legacy for himself already, and I think his experience in the big games such as the NCAA National Championship with LSU will help him out here. 

I’m predicting Tee Higgins to have a huge game, because Jalen Ramsey will lock down Ja’marr Chase. It should be an exciting game with a lot of good plays on both sides but I have the Bengals pulling it out this year.