Super Bowl 56 is a battle of the expected vs. the unexpected between the Rams and the Bengals.
With the Rams edging the 49ers in the NFC championship game, Los Angeles made good on their trade for Matthew Stafford and are back in the Super Bowl for the second time in four years.
The Rams' appearance in the Super Bowl isn't too surprising, but what happened in the AFC was. For the first time in over three decades, the Cincinnati Bengals are Super Bowl-bound, thanks in big part to Joe Burrow.
Whether it's "Joey Franchise," "Joe Shiesty," "Joe Brrr" or just plain "Joey B," Cincinnati fans can call him one thing collectively: AFC champion. Burrow and the Bengals staged an all-time great comeback vs. the Chiefs to punch their ticket to Super Bowl 56.
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The Super Bowl 56 matchup marks one of the few meetings between No. 1 overall picks. Stafford was the No. 1 overall pick of the Lions in 2008 and is making his first Super Bowl appearance in 2022. Burrow had a much shorter wait, appearing in the Super Bowl after being selected No. 1 overall in 2020.
Here's what you need to know about Super Bowl 56:
Who is in the Super Bowl 2022?
- Cincinnati Bengals vs. Los Angeles Rams
The Bengals and the Rams are meeting for the first time in the Super Bowl.
The Rams are making their fifth post-merger Super Bowl appearance, while the Bengals return to the Super Bowl for the first time since the 1980s and Boomer Esiason-led teams.
When & where is Super Bowl 56?
- Date: Sunday, Feb. 13
- Kickoff time: 6:30 p.m. ET (unofficial)
- TV network: NBC
- Location: SoFi Stadium, Los Angeles, Cal.
Super Bowl 56 is happening at SoFi Stadium, marking the second season in a row that a team in the Super Bowl has something of a home-field advantage.
SoFi Stadium is the home of the Rams, so expect them to have something of a home-field advantage — even if the NFC championship game.
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Super Bowl 56 odds, line, spread
- Opening spread: Rams -3.5
- Moneyline: Rams -200/Bengals +162
- Over/under: 50
The Rams opened as slight favorites over the Bengals per FanDuel, as 3.5-point favorites.
Both teams have high-powered offenses, so the 50 number makes sense — and it's a very tantalizing, tough bet to figure either way.
How many times have the Bengals been to the Super Bowl?
The Bengals have been to the Super Bowl two other times: In 1981 and 1988, and have no Super Bowl victories.
Ken Anderson was the QB for the '81 team: The Bengals faced the 49ers in the Super Bowl, losing 26-21.
Boomer Esiason was under center for the 1988 squad. In Super Bowl 23, Joe Montana and San Francisco once again downed the Bengals, 20-16.
MOST SUPER BOWL WINS: By team | By player
How many times have the Rams been to the Super Bowl?
The Rams have been to four Super Bowls before 2022, last appearing in a Super Bowl in 2019 to face the Patriots.
They're looking for their first Super Bowl victory since 2000, when Kurt Warner, Marshall Faulk and "The Greatest Show on Turf" knocked off the Tennessee Titans in Super Bowl 34, 23-16.
They've also appeared in the Super Bowl in 1980, 2000, 2002 and 2019.