TYLER PACOS
Staff Writer
The 56th Super Bowl is finally here, and the teams going head to head were not expected to make it nearly this far.
Matt Stafford and the Los Angeles Rams are set to host Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals at the LA Rams new SoFi Stadium, in Inglewood, California on Sunday, Feb. 13.
This is the first time that both of these teams will face each other this season. The Rams finished the regular season 12-5 and the Bengals finished 10-7, both seeded 4th at the beginning of the playoffs.
The Rams defeated Arizona, Tampa Bay and San Francisco to punch their ticket to the Super Bowl. Cincinnati faced Las Vegas, Tennessee and Kansas City to also earn their spot in the biggest game of the year.
The last time the Rams went to the Super Bowl was only four years ago, back in 2018. The Bengals on the other hand haven’t gone since 1988, thirty-four years ago.
It is predicted to be one of the warmest Super Bowls in history, with the forecast predicting a high of 88 degrees Fahrenheit, according to the Weather Channel.
Although SoFi Stadium is an enclosed venue, there is no air conditioning or heat offered in the stadium. CBS Sports writes that “while SoFi has a roof, the sides are open. SoFi is climate controlled, and does not have a/c or a heat.” With heat advisories already issued until Sunday at 6 p.m. Pacific Time, this could be a potentially serious issue come game day.
Expect the game to be close in scoring. Chris Berman, top sports analyst for ESPN, predicts a Rams victory over the Bengals with a score of 27-24. Tune in Sunday at 6:30 p.m. Eastern Time for kickoff. Also, don’t miss this year’s Pepsi Halftime Show featuring Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar and Mary J. Bilge.