With less than two weeks until Super Bowl LVI, all eyes will now turn to SoFi Stadium as the Los Angeles Rams, and Cincinnati Bengals are set to do battle.
Early odds have the Rams as the favorites at -198, while the Bengals’ moneyline sits at +166. The spread features Cincinnati +4 (-114).
While the focus is on the big game, let’s take a look at how they got here and other news from around the league this week.
And Then There Were Two
For as great as the divisional round of the playoffs were last week, the AFC and NFC championships did not disappoint.
In the AFC, the Bengals pulled off quite the upset as they erased a 21-3 lead to win 27-24 in overtime.
In the win, Joe Burrow threw for 250 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception. Tee Higgins led the receivers with 103 yards, while both Ja’Marr Chase and Samaje Perine had receiving touchdowns.
Patrick Mahomes threw for 275 yards and three touchdowns, but he also had two costly interceptions. The Chiefs’ offense just couldn’t get in sync in the second half. After scoring 21 first quarter points, they scored just three combined points in the second half and overtime.
In the NFC, the Rams erased a 17-7 deficit by scoring 13 unanswered points in the fourth quarter.
Matthew Stafford threw for 337 yards and two touchdowns in the win. Cooper Kupp was almost unstoppable with 11 receptions for 142 yards and two scores. Odell Beckham Jr also was sensational as he went for nine receptions and 113 yards.
In the loss, Jimmy Garoppolo threw for 232 yards and two touchdowns, but he also threw an interception in the final drive as the 49ers looked to try to tie the game late.
The Rams will certainly have a slight edge as they will play on their home field for the Super Bowl. It will also be Matthew Stafford’s first Super Bowl in his 13-year career.
Interestingly, as both teams are four seeds, the Super Bowl will pit the lowest-seeded teams in history against each other.
Two More Head Coaching Positions Filled
With Sean Payton leaving the Saints, the NFL has seen nine head coaching positions open up this offseason. After the Bears and Broncos filled their positions last week, two other teams recently made their decisions.
The New York Giants announced that they have hired former Buffalo Bills’ offensive coordinator Brian Daboll to lead the team.
Daboll helped lead Josh Allen and the Bills to the AFC divisional round, where they lost in an instant classic to the Kansas City Chiefs.
The Bills ranked third this season in scoring, averaging 29.8 points per game. Daboll will now have the tough task of turning around a Giants team that ranked 31st in scoring, averaging just 15.2 points.
Also, the Raiders are on their way to making a couple of hires. They have hired Dave Ziegler from the New England Patriots to be their next general manager.
Continuing their pillage of the Patriots, they are expected to make New England’s offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels their next head coach.
Tom Brady Retiring, Or Is He?
Reports on Saturday indicated that Tom Brady has decided to retire after 22 years in the NFL.
Shortly after those reports came out, they quickly came under suspicion as rumors surfaced that Brady was undecided; however, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com has indicated that it is just a matter of time.
One of the reasons for the delayed timing may be for financial reasons. According to Sportrac, Brady is set to make $15 million on February 4 as part of his signing bonus.
There is a belief that once that date comes and goes that the decision to retire may be confirmed. If this is the end of the road, it has been an unbelievable ride with Brady.
He has won seven Super Bowls throughout his career, six with the Patriots and one with the Buccaneers. He finishes with 84,520 yards passing and 624 touchdowns throughout his career. Both of those rank first in NFL history.
Without Brady, it will be interesting to see how the Buccaneers handle the offseason. Regardless, if Brady is done, he goes out as arguably one of the best quarterbacks to ever play the game.
