The Cincinnati Bengals will play their most important game in over 30 years Sunday in Super Bowl LVI at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles. The Bengals will face their toughest test of the season when they meet the Los Angeles Rams for the Lombardi trophy. The Rams are a very well-balanced team headlined by a fantastic pass rush and defensive line as well as a potent offense that is capable of putting up points. This can be a daunting task for most teams when facing an All-Pro player in Aaron Donald and fellow pass rushers Von Miller and Leonard Floyd. One thing is clear as it pertains to this young Bengals team. They certainly won’t be intimidated by the star power opposite them on Sunday. The Bengals have overcome multiple late-game deficits in these playoffs and came out victorious on the other side. Let’s look at three keys for the Cincinnati Bengals to take home their first World Championship.
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Cincinnati Bengals Keys to Victory in Super Bowl LVI
Screen Game 101
One of the best ways to neutralize the vaunted pass rush of the Rams is with the timely and effective use of screens. This can calm the rush down and keep the linebackers honest in the second level. Expect the Bengals to use this strategy early and often to open up running lanes as the game goes on.
The @Bengals should take 1/2 of their first down runs from AFC title game and make them screens https://t.co/KFRFip1xTe
— Dan Orlovsky (@danorlovsky7) February 8, 2022
Bengals running backs Joe Mixon, Samaje Perine, and even rookie Chris Evans will play crucial roles in the screen game. They will also be vital in serving as added pass protection for quarterback Joe Burrow.
Situational Football
The majority of NFL games come down to situational football or excelling when the stakes are the highest. This aspect is magnified even higher in the Super Bowl. Cincinnati has been one of the best teams in the NFL in regards to successful situational football and overall awareness in peak moments. The position group that has shined brightest has been the Bengals secondary. The defensive back duo of Eli Apple and Chidobe Awuzie and safety tandem of Jessie Bates and Vonn Bell are playing at an elite level. They are the unheralded closers on this team and they will be called on once again to come up with more big plays in high leverage situations.
"That's what we do." 🗣️
When it was time to make a play, @Vonn and @jlbiii3 stepped up.@Bengals | @InsideTheNFL pic.twitter.com/K5pE5AWzWw
— NFL Films (@NFLFilms) February 1, 2022
Fight to the Finish
The NFL season is a long and arduous one. Throw in the additional 17th game plus three in the playoffs thus far and you are at the 21 games when the Super Bowl is complete. This Bengals team has come so far when no one expected them to be in this position. They have fought hard on a weekly basis to be in a position that seemed incomprehensible at the beginning of the season. In this game, they will be underdogs once again to a very good Rams team. This is also nothing new to this group. These players won’t be fazed by the bright lights of the Super Bowl and all that comes with it. To them, it’s just another game of having fun and doing something you love with your friends. Burrow and his offensive weapons along with this underrated defense are ready. If you want to rule it all and be World Champions you have to go out and take what’s yours. Come Sunday, that’s exactly what these young tigers plan on doing.
Main Photo:
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