Super Bowl preview

 This year's Super Bowl is a truly fresh matchup, loaded with storylines.

For the Cincinnati Bengals, the AFC North champions, it is their 3rd trip to the big dance, and the first since after the 1988 season. In both of their previous appearances, the Bengals fell to the San Francisco 49ers. We almost got a 3rd meeting of the two teams, had today's Niners not lost the NFC title game 12 days ago.

2nd year QB Joe Burrow has come of age, largely thanks to a former college teammate at LSU, JaMarr Chase, joining him in Cincinnati. Ex-Giant Eli Apple surfaced with the Bengals after a run in New Orleans, and is having a career year. If there are any regrets, it's the fact that star receiver AJ Green decided to chase the money (Arizona), and left town. Chase has more than filled the void.

The Los Angeles Rams, the NFC West champions, make their 5th appearance in the Big Game with their 4th different quarterback. 23 years after Kurt Warner, the subject of a recent biographical movie, took the Rams to the promised land, coach Sean McVay has the Rams back in the Super Bowl, a few short years after an el foldo against New England. For those of you scoring at home, the Rams QBs in the Super Bowl have been:

Vince Ferragamo (lost to Pittsburgh).

Warner (defeated Tennessee, lost to New England).

Jared Goff (lost to New England).

Matthew Stafford. The former Lions QB was traded to LA for Goff, and has reaped the benefits. While Goff struggled with another historically underachieving Lions team, Stafford finally made a long post-season run that mattered. And it would be a coincidence if, 34 days after his alma mater, Georgia, won college football's national championship, Stafford brings the Lombardi trophy back to the Rams, who called St. Louis home when Warner led them to the title.

The one thing the Rams cannot do is lose the football. Turnovers nearly cost them against Tampa Bay and San Francisco, and Cincinnati also has a ball-hawking defense. The Rams are the 2nd straight NFC champion to double as the host team (Tampa Bay last year), but that doesn't mean they'll also win.

Let me just address the drama surrounding the halftime show. Hip hop flavored with Dr. Dre, Eminem, Snoop Dogg, Mary J. Blige, and Kendrick Lamar, and conservative ding-a-lings are having a whine-fest for no other reason than to throw shade and call attention to themselves. Calling rap and hip-hop satanic, for example, is beyond laughable. It's just sad. Snoop, who just bought his old label, Death Row Records, is also a big supporter of youth sports in the LA area, so his inclusion in this year's show was inevitable and well earned.

Back to the game. This will be a high scoring affair. Burrow to Chase vs. Stafford to Odell Beckham, Jr., Cooper Kupp, Robert Woods, et al. Von Miller only has to show the ring he won with Denver to motivate the defense. Aaron Donald is hoping to win his 1st. In short, Burrow is in for a long night. So is Stafford, but it is the team with the fewest mistakes that takes this home.

Prediction: I've slept on Cincinnati most of the postseason, but there's a feeling that the 3rd time could be the charm for a team whose home city hasn't seen a championship since the Reds last won the World Series in 1990. Bengals, 49-45.

Of course, I could be wrong.