During the two weeks leading up to Super Bowl LVI, one of the most discussed topics was the battle between the Rams’ pass rush and the Bengals’ offensive line. It was an obvious mismatch that favored the Rams, boasting a unit led by Aaron Donald and Von Miller.
The Bengals allowed Joe Burrow to be sacked more than any quarterback during the regular season and gave up nine sacks in the divisional round against the Titans, very clearly entering the Super Bowl as Cincinnati’s biggest weakness.
So what do you get when a dominant pass rush meets a terrible offensive line? Pressure, pressure and more pressure. To the surprise of no one, the Rams’ defensive front owned this matchup with the Bengals’ pass protectors.
The Bengals’ pass-block win rate of 14% was the worst by a team in any game this season. That means the Rams’ rushers beat their blockers within 2.5 seconds 86% of the time.
Bengals finished with a 14% pass block win rate, the worst by any team in any game this season.
(ESPN / NFL Next Gen Stats)
— Seth Walder (@SethWalder) February 14, 2022
After sacking Burrow only once in the first half, the Rams’ pass rush came alive in the third and fourth quarters when it mattered most. They sacked Burrow six times in the second half alone, consistently applying pressure to the second-year quarterback.
The Rams’ seven sacks are tied for the most ever in a Super Bowl, matching the Steelers in 1975, the Bears in 1985 and the Broncos in 2015 – a team that Miller was also a part of.
There have been seven teams that recorded at least six sacks in the Super Bowl, and all seven of them won.
The #Rams had 7 sacks, tying the record for most sacks in a Super Bowl! Teams are now 7-0 when recording 6+ sacks in the Super Bowl @NFLResearch
— Steve Weissman (@Steve_Weissman) February 14, 2022
Donald finished the game with two sacks and three QB hits, Miller had two sacks and three QB hits, Ernest Jones sacked Burrow once and hit him three times, while A’Shawn Robinson and Leonard Floyd each had one sack and one QB hit.
Donald’s pressure on Burrow on the Bengals’ failed fourth-down attempt late in the fourth quarter was the play that sealed the win for the Rams, blowing by his man in the blink of an eye.
THE PLAY THAT SEALED THE DEAL.
📺: #SBLVI on NBC pic.twitter.com/3z7fRQfRTs
— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) February 14, 2022
It was a complete team effort on defense, but Donald, Miller, Robinson and Floyd were all highly impactful players for the Rams in the win. Without Donald and Miller, there’s no chance Los Angeles beats the Bengals.
After all, pressure makes diamonds.
