FrontPageBets Super Bowl 56 betting guide

As kickoff approaches, FrontPageBets offers insight into wagering on Super Bowl 56 between the Los Angeles Rams and Cincinnati Bengals.

Just the facts

Los Angeles Rams (15-5) vs. Cincinnati Bengals (13-7)

• When: Sunday, Feb. 13, 2022
• Where: SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, Calif.
• Time: 6:30 p.m. EST
• TV: NBC
• Streaming: Peacock, NBCSports.com, NBC Sports App

History Lesson

The Rams are 1-3 all-time in the Super Bowl. Their only victory came to conclude the 1999 season, while based in St. Louis, when Kurt Warner and Co. held on to beat Tennessee 23-16.

Cincinnati will try a third time to win its first Super Bowl. The Bengals’ previous two appearances came against San Francisco in the 1980s. The Bengals lost those two games by a combined 9 points.

Odds correct at time of publishing and subject to change.

Here's the skinny

A resident of the host site plays in its home stadium for the second consecutive season. After Tom Brady led Tampa Bay to a 31-9 win over Kansas City on its home field of Raymond James Stadium in Super Bowl 50, the Rams will try to claim the franchise’s second Super Bowl title in its home venue.

The Rams went 7-3 at their massive, over-the-top, full-on Hollywood indoor-outdoor stadium during the 2021 campaign – including the playoffs. SoFi Stadium seats more than 70,200. But, it’s L.A., where those who live there aren’t always from there and don’t root for the home team. Critical games here in the past month have proven not to provide the Rams with the home-field advantage others would seemingly enjoy.

Cincinnati knocked off the AFC’s top two seeds – No. 1 Tennessee and No. 2 Kansas City -- on the road, where the Bengals are 7-0 as underdogs against the spread this season. The Bengals’ three playoff victories each came by 7 or fewer points, while four of its seven losses were by 3 points.

Setting the bar

Four of the last five Super Bowl champions put up at least 31 points. The exception was New England’s 13-3 win in Super Bowl 53 over coach Sean McVay and the Rams to conclude the 2018 season.

McVay’s offense ranked second in the NFL in scoring in 2018, averaging 32.9 points. This season, the Rams averaged 27.1 points and tied for seventh in the league with the Bengals.

Including the playoffs, Los Angeles has failed to score 27 points in three of its last five games. Meanwhile, Cincinnati was held to 26 or fewer in three straight games before winning 27-24 at Kansas City in the AFC Championship Game. However, the Bengals needed overtime to get it done.

According to bettingpros.com, three of the Rams’ last five games have finished under the points total. The Bengals are under in four consecutive games.

The ball’s in their hands

When it comes to Super Bowl wagering, fans tend to have the most fun – or anguish – through prop betting. The options are seemingly endless through DraftKings.

While this might not be the sexiest Super Bowl matchup in recent years, there are certainly individual player performances worth keep an eye on. Quarterbacks are always at the center of storylines in the Super Bowl, and this week is no exception.

During his first 12 NFL seasons with the Detroit Lions (2009-’20), Matthew Stafford, who turned 34 on Feb. 7, went 0-3 in the playoffs. Acquired by the Rams one year ago, Stafford has three wins in these playoffs with 905 passing yards, six touchdowns and one interception this postseason.

Stafford is an enticing option in performance betting. His passing yards (Over 279.5 @ -115) total is particularly intriguing.

Joe Burrow has also been solid this postseason for the Bengals, with 842 yards, four touchdowns and two interceptions in three contests. Last week, the 26-year-old Burrow also rushed for 25 yards on five carries.

The latter is an aspect of his game that could be utilized against an active Rams’ front seven that ranked third in the NFL with 50 sacks during the regular season. Cincinnati was third in the league allowing 55 sacks in 2021. While the Bengals were better with protection against the Chiefs in the AFC Championship, Burrow was sacked nine times by the Titans. Facing Aaron Donald and a front willing to be aggressive sending more than four, the Burrow pressure gauge should be considered when weighing performance picks.

Just get him the ball

When it comes to individual star power, the best player on the field come Super Bowl Sunday could be Rams All-Pro wide receiver Cooper Kupp. An MVP candidate after leading the NFL this season in receptions (145), receiving yards (1,947) and touchdowns (16), Kupp has the potential to be a prop bettors dream. He already has four postseason touchdowns in these playoffs, and totaled 20 catches for 325 yards during the NFC Divisional and Championship rounds.

There’s a chance veteran NFL attention-getter Odell Beckham Jr., nine receptions (Over 5.5 receptions @ +115 with DraftKings), 113 yards in the NFC Championship Game, could steal some of Kupp’s thunder. However, Kupp is the most consistent – dare we say, automatic -- offensive performer on the field.

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