And then there were two. When the playoffs began a month ago, not many would have stuck their necks out and picked a Los Angeles Rams-Cincinnati Bengals Super Bowl LVI, but these teams earned their way to the championship game.
The Bengals beat the Las Vegas Raiders at home and took out the top two seeds on the road (Tennessee and Kansas City) the earn their trip to the Super Bowl.
The Rams took down division rivals Arizona and San Francisco at home and defending champion Tampa Bay on the road to get a home game for the Super Bowl – if you call playing in L.A. a home game when road fans routinely outnumber the home team.
This wasn’t a matchup that was predicted, which makes this game intriguing, because one of them is going to get a ring and get to hoist the Lombardi Trophy.
Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook (updated Thursday, Feb. 10, at 6:55 p.m. ET) … If you’re in CO or NJ, place all of your legal, online sports wagers with Tipico Sportsbook.
Super Bowl LVI Betting Odds and Lines
Cincinnati Bengals vs. Los Angeles Rams Moneyline
I’m not a big fan of the Moneyline unless I’m picking the underdog, which I’m not doing in this case. The Rams are a pretty significant favorite straight up (-200 Rams, +165 Bengals). I don’t like giving away twice as much than I would get in return with a win. My advise would be simple – Avoid this bet. However, if I was forced to make a move, I would put a counterintuitive wager on the Bengals, because they’ve proved they can go on the road and take out the top two seeds in the AFC and could make history by doing it again. Begrudingly, take the Bengals with a small wager (+165).
Cincinnati Bengals vs. Los Angeles Rams Point Spread
In the Conference Championship games, I took both of the underdogs, because I thought both could win outright. The Bengals did. The 49ers didn’t, but they covered the spread against the Rams. Los Angeles is being given a pretty healthy number (3.5 points at -115 Rams, -105 Bengals). Both teams have proved they can come from behind staring down double-digit deficits in the second half, but the Rams have more talent and experience on both sides of the ball than the Bengals. To me, the determining factor here came in the Divisional Round when Cincinnati beat Tennessee. Joe Burrow was sacked nine times and his team still won – a postseason first in the history of the league. The Rams bring the same kind of pressure, and speeding up Burrow’s internal clock will likely lead to the mistake that allows Los Angeles to pull away. Take the Rams and lay the 3.5 points (-115).
Cincinnati Bengals vs. Los Angeles Rams Over/Under
The total is pretty high (48.5 points at -110 for both the Over and Under). Both teams are capable of putting up big numbers. While they have strong run games, they got to this point because they have quarterbacks who can make every throw and talented receivers who can haul them in. They can have the long drives that make the Under attractive, but when I looked at this matchup, my first thought was the Rams would win 30-24, making a defensive stand late. That’s 54 points. Take the Over (-110).
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