When it comes to Betting on Sunday, Don’t Sleep on the Bengals

The Cincinnati Bengals and Los Angeles Rams will face off in Super Bowl 56 this Sunday from SoFi stadium.

For Sean McVay and the Rams, this is business as usual. They were here a few years ago against the Patriots and fell short. They have also made the playoffs four of the last five seasons. 

Incredible seasons from Cooper Kupp and Matthew Stafford, along with a truly formidable defense highlighted by Aaron Donald, has the Rams right where they want to be, NFC Champs, and the favorites to win Super Bowl 56.

On Cincy’s side, this is an anomaly. They weren’t supposed to be here. They finished last in the AFC North last season, and their odds for winning or even making the Super Bowl going into this season were near the bottom. 

Joe Burrow came back from a brutal season-ending injury in 2020, and along with Ja’Marr Chase, Joe Mixon and a solid defense, has propelled the Bengals through the regular season and playoffs and into the big game in his sophomore campaign. 

 

Best Bets for Sunday

The Rams are a pretty significant favorite to win on Sunday, with the Moneyline at -190 for LA at the moment. For a Super Bowl matchup, you usually don’t see much heavier odds for a favorite than that. 

The Rams definitely have the better team on paper, Stafford, Kupp, Odell Beckham Jr., etc. And that’s just on the offensive side. They have one of the best defenses in the league, led by stars like Donald and Jalen Ramsey. 

This is one game though, and the biggest of any football player’s career. 

Stats don’t matter, and it’s the team that makes the fewest mistakes who’ll hoist the Lombardi trophy on Sunday night. That said, it’ll be a close game, but do not count the Bengals out by any means.

A good prediction for Sunday is that the Bengals win 31-28, upsetting the Rams and beating the spread, which Vegas has at 4.5 points in favor of LA right now. 

That also means both teams will combine to cover the over, which is currently set at 48.5. It’ll be a high-scoring shootout, and it’s hard not to believe in the Bengals to complete this Cinderella story. 

 

Player Bets

For specific player bets, here are what personally seem to be some good potential wagers:

Stafford 2 TD passes +190

Stafford 241 to 260 yards +800

Stafford 24 completions +1000

Matthew Stafford will have a good game, make no mistake, but he struggled against the Niners, and the Bengals’ defense will come out ready to exploit the Rams’ quarterback and force him to make mistakes. He’ll have a decent game but won’t show up as he did against the Bucs in the divisional round.

Burrow 3 TD passes +300

Burrow 281 to 300 yards +600

Burrow 26 completions +1000

Burrow to win Super Bowl MVP +215

Joe Burrow is Joe Cool. He will have the game of his life on the biggest stage of his life. There’s no reason to doubt him, as he’s stepped up at every opportunity this postseason. He’s got plenty of help from his offensive weapons. 

Joe Burrow as helped carry the Cincinnati Bengals to the Super Bowl. Expect him to have another big game on the grandest stage of them all.

The only question mark is on the offensive line’s ability to protect him and give him chances to make good passes.

Kupp 101 to 110 yards +800

Beckham Jr 41 to 50 yards +700

The Rams’ success through the air will be dependent on Kupp and OBJ. 

More specifically, it’ll depend on Kupp. By the numbers this season, he’s easily the most talented skill position, and he has exceeded the hype this postseason, catching at least 60 yards and one touchdown in each of the three games the Rams have played in this postseason so far. 

Ja’Maar Chase 81 to 90 yards +800

Tee Higgins 61 to 70 yards +600

Ja’Maar Chase has been the shining star of the Bengals’ offense to go along with Joe Burrow this season. He has put up the greatest rookie season for a wide receiver in NFL history and caught a touchdown against the Chiefs in the AFC Championship two weeks ago. 

The Bengals’ run game has been underwhelming this postseason, so if they’re going to win, it’ll depend on the arm of Burrow and the hands of Chase and Higgins. 

 

Under 2.5 Field Goals +170

Field goals aren’t winning this game. Both McVay and Zac Taylor will have to be aggressive in the red zone, and that’ll result in a high-scoring affair with a lot of touchdowns being exchanged.