Super Bowl 56: Early pick, score prediction for Bengals vs. Rams

The Cincinnati Bengals are Super Bowl 56 champs!

Chances are this one comes down to the final possession, as many of the later-round playoff games have. Whether or not that happens, I’m rolling with the Bengals to earn their first Super Bowl victory in franchise history.

While they don’t have an elite defense, it’s an opportunistic one. They picked off Patrick Mahomes in the clutch two weeks ago, and Stafford hasn’t been shy about flinging the ball around over the last couple of months. A couple of turnovers allow the Bengals to pull ahead and stay there, even with the Rams keeping it close until the final whistle.

And with that, we’ll have witnessed the rise of another potential annual contender in the AFC. Burrow has emerged as a legitimate top quarterback this season, and the Bengals have to be excited about what the future holds for the budding star. If this hypothetical Super Bowl win is any indication, Cincinnati will be near the top of the AFC standings for years to go.

So soak it in, Bengals fans. For the first time in franchise history, they taste the sweetest victory there is to be had in the NFL, removing their name from the list of teams that don’t have the pleasure of displaying a Lombardi Trophy in their trophy case.

That’s it — the 2021-22 NFL season is in the books and the Bengals are champs. See you next fall.

Prediction: Bengals win 31-28