With the AFC and NFC Championships in the books, only two teams are left to go head to head in Super Bowl LVI this Sunday. The Los Angeles Rams will kickoff in their brand new home stadium against the Cincinnati Bengals in what is sure to be a game you won’t want to miss.

Whether you watch it for the halftime show or the hilarious commercials, the Super Bowl is back, and both the Rams and the Bengals are prepared to leave it all out on the field for a game that will excite anyone who watches. The Rams are coming off of an incredible postseason run, however, Cincinnati is determined to prove that they are a winning franchise in their first Super Bowl appearance since 1989.

This year, Los Angeles Rams owner Stan Kronke is trying to write a different story for his team after trading seven years worth of first round draft picks for a new quarterback in Matthew Stafford from the Detroit Lions, and other veteran players like receiver Odell Beckham Jr. and linebacker Von Miller.

Even though pretty much everyone in St. Louis is resentful of the Rams now that they’re in L.A., it doesn’t distract from the fact that they are having a very successful season and are just plain talented. Ever since the Stafford deal, their offense has been on fire. Tight end Cooper Kupp has been unstoppable this season and will be a huge target for Stafford against the Bengals. In terms of running the ball, the Rams will need to establish their run game from the start with Darell Henderson and Cam Akers and really test the Bengals defense.

In reality, this game will ultimately come down to which team has the better defense. We know that the Rams are a defensive powerhouse with defensive tackle Aaron Donald at the helm. Donald will do whatever he can to pressure Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow whether it’s forcing quick pass situations or just shutting down the running game.

It’s also important to remember that the last time the Rams were in the Super Bowl was in 2020, so they are going to have experience when it comes to high pressure games like this one. However, neither Burrow or Stafford have been to a Super Bowl, so it will be interesting to see how each quarterback will perform.

As for the Bengals, quarterback Joe Burrow is going to try and lead his team to their first Super Bowl win and live up to one of his many nicknames, “Joey Franchise.” After suffering the brutal ACL tear that took away his rookie season in 2020, Burrow has been having the comeback season of his life. This doesn’t come as a surprise though after seeing how he led the Louisiana State University football team to a NCAA championship in 2019.

“I want the Bengals to win because I am a big LSU football fan and think it would be totally awesome if Joe Burrow, Tyler Shelvin and Ja’Marr Chase could win a Super Bowl,” senior Taytum Scarborough said.

Burrow will be up against one of the toughest defenses he has ever faced this Sunday. However, if he can find receivers like Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, and running back Joe Mixon shows up to play, their offense will be successful. However, the Bengals offensive line has been inconsistent lately so they will need to tighten up and make sure that they shut down the aggressive defense from the Rams.

Many of our Crusaders are also excited to watch the Super Bowl this Sunday, but their opinions of a Bengals win seems unanimous. To put it simply, almost everyone wants to see Kronke and his team lose. After all, Kronke was the one who took football out of St. Louis.

“I have to root for the Bengals for two reasons. 1: They beat my Chiefs, as I’m from the KC area and a lifelong Chiefs fan so you always hope that the team that knocked out yours wins it all. 2: I’ve lived in the STL area for the last eight years, so even though I didn’t grow up a Rams fan, a lot of my friends I’ve made here are rooting against them since they moved, so I guess I’ll support them and root against them as well,” St. Dominic’s head football coach Blake Markway said.

Whether you’re rooting for the Rams or the Bengals, be sure to watch one of the most anticipated games of the year on Super Bowl Sunday at 5:30 pm on NBC!