It’s officially the week leading up to the Super Bowl, with the Los Angeles Rams being favored over the Cincinnati Bengals. Of all of the variables that have made the Rams favorites, it’s their experienced and accomplished roster that gives them a slight edge over the Bengals.
Entering Sunday’s contest, Los Angeles has 38 total Pro Bowl selections and 20 first-team All-Pro selections on their roster, according to FiveThirtyEight. Meanwhile, Cincinnati has seven total Pro Bowl selections and is absent of a first-team All-Pro selection on its roster.
Aaron Donald himself has more Pro Bowl selections (8) and All-Pro nods (7) than the Bengals have as a team.
The Rams are a little bit older than the Bengals, too. They have an Approximate Value-weighted age of 27.6, according to FiveThirtyEight, while the Bengals’ Approximate Value-weighted age is only 25.8.
Some people questioned the lack of experience that Matthew Stafford had in the playoffs before this season, but he’s responded by winning his first three postseason games in his debut year with the Rams. On the other side of the field, Joe Burrow has also won earned his first three postseason victories, but he’s only in his second season.
When it comes to defense, the Rams are loaded with proven players like Donald, Von Miller, and Jalen Ramsey. And even though he isn’t even close to his prime anymore, Eric Weddle brings experience and leadership to Los Angeles’ defense.
As for the Bengals, they have a solid defensive unit that is led by Trey Hendrickson, D.J. Reader, Logan Wilson, and Jessie Bates. While all of those guys have had remarkable seasons for Cincinnati, they haven’t accomplished as much as the Rams’ defensive core has in their careers.
Also, Los Angeles is playing in its second Super Bowl in four years, giving the Rams more experience in this sort of environment. That being said, Jared Goff was the quarterback in 2018 and Copper Kupp was unavailable for the team’s last Super Bowl due to a knee injury.
Plenty of people are going to cite different reasons as to why either team is going to emerge victorious in the Super Bowl on Sunday. Given the experienced and accomplished nature of their roster, the Rams seem to have the upper hand on the youthful Bengals.
