Who should you cheer for in the 2022 Super Bowl
That’s an easy question for fans of this year’s participants — the Cincinnati Bengals and the Los Angeles Rams — but perhaps a bit tougher for fans outside of those realms.
Here’s three reasons to cheer for the Bengals on Super Bowl Sunday:
Joe Burrow is the next era of savvy quarterbacks
Conversations about the Bengals often revolve around their second-year quarterback, Joe Burrow, and for good reason.
After a torn ACL cut short his rookie season, the former LSU star showed just what kind of playmaker he is during his sophomore campaign, completing a league-high 70.4% of his passes this year for 4,611 yards and 34 touchdowns.
That was just the start for Burrow, who then led Cincinnati to three straight playoff wins — including two on the road — to get the Bengals back to the Super Bowl.
That included Cincinnati rallying from down 21-3 to Kansas City in the AFC championship game to win 27-24.
Burrow had some advice for young players — and where their focus should be — days before his first appearance in a Super Bowl.
“Focus on getting better,” Burrow said Monday during Super Bowl press availability. “Don’t have a workout and post it on Instagram the next day and then go sit on your butt the next day and everyone thinks you’re working hard but you’re not. Work in silence. Don’t show anyone what you’re doing.
“Let your performance on Friday nights and Saturday nights and Sunday nights show all the hard work you put in. Don’t worry about all that social media stuff.”
The Bengals have never won a Super Bowl
Cincinnati has reached the Super Bowl twice — both times back in the 1980s in the 1981 and 1988 Super Bowls. Both times, San Francisco beat the Bengals in the title game, and both times it was a one-possession game.
Fortunately for the Bengals, Los Angeles knocked out the 49ers in the NFC championship game this year.
Cincinnati held a fourth-quarter, 16-13 lead in their most previous Super Bowl, before Joe Montana led a late game-winning touchdown drive.
This time, perhaps, it will be Burrow leading the way to victory.
They’re just fun — and easy to root for
Just two years ago, this franchise won two games — that’s how they got into position to draft Burrow — and the Bengals have long been known for middling football.
Now, Cincinnati has one of the most exciting teams to watch in the NFL. Burrow is throwing passes to his former teammate at LSU, wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase, and the Bengals have the look of a team that could contend in the AFC for years to come.
It’s not just Super Bowl futility this franchise has overcome — they have struggled in the playoffs in general. The Bengals went 31 years between playoff wins, and now after three straight postseason victories, they find themselves on the cusp of their first Super Bowl title.