It’s that time of year again! The end of another rollercoaster football season, the biggest day of sports broadcasting in the United States, yes–it’s the Super Bowl! On Sunday, February 13th, the Los Angeles Rams and Cincinnati Bengals will face off at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. 

The talk of the town in Cincinnati, and all across the country, is Joe Burrow. After injuring his ACL a year ago, Burrow, the 2022 NFL Comeback Player of the Year, is ready for the big game. In the wild-card round at home, he and the Bengals came out, playing off each other incredibly to eliminate the Las Vegas Raiders. They went on to play the #1 seeded Tennessee Titans and barely snuck out a win thanks to a last minute field-goal by kicker Evan McPherson. Most recently, he led the Bengals to a surprise comeback victory against the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium, winning the NFC Championships, and securing a spot in Super Bowl LVI. The theme of the Cincinnati Bengals this season is adversity. In the preseason, they were expected to be one of the worst teams in the league along with the Jets, Jaguars, and Texans. However, thanks to Burrow, alongside wide receiver Ja’marr Chase, and a stout defense, the Bengals have reached the Super Bowl for the first time in 34 years. 

Just as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers did last year, the Rams are playing in their home stadium. Headlined by quarterback Matthew Stafford and Offensive Player of The Year Cooper Kupp, the Rams are primed to win the big game. Talent is infused all throughout their roster with  stars such as  Jalen Ramsey, Von Miller, and Andrew Whitworth. The offense employs a West-Coast system, using a technique that places a greater emphasis on passing than on running. The Rams defense, led by their seasoned veterans, has been strong all season and even more dominant in the postseason. After successfully clobbering the Cardinals at home, the Rams went on to Tampa Bay. There, they upset the GOAT Tom Brady in his final game in the league. From there, they returned back home to play the San Francisco 49ers, and narrowly snuck out a win, clinching their spot in this year’s Super Bowl. 

It is clear that this battle will be a slugfest, and the game will certainly come down to the wire. However, there are varying opinions on who will come out on top. ESPN’s Football Power 

Index predicts a Rams victory in 66.3% of its simulations. Within the PDS community, however, there are disagreements. Junior Josh Chu believes in the Bengals and Joe ‘Shiesty’ Burrow, arguing, “Burrow’s just playing great football and I always got to root for the underdog.” Junior Siddharth Patel has a differing take, “I just think that the Rams have too much talent not to win. It’ll still be a great game though.” Personally, the Rams constructed their team perfectly to win the Super Bowl so I’ll side with them. Though, you never know…