Super Bowl LVI Odds, Spread and Bets: Los Angeles Rams vs. Cincinnati Bengals

The Rams are 4.5 point favorites but betting on the Bengals moneyline in the Super Bowl might be the better bet.

Cincinnati Bengals (13-7 SU, 13-7 ATS) at  Los Angeles Rams (15-5 SU, 10-10 ATS)

• Spread: Cincinnati +4 (-110) | Los Angeles -4 (-110)
• Moneyline: Cincinnati (+165) | Los Angeles (-200)
• Total: 48.5– Over (-110) | Under 48.5 (-110)
• Public (Spread) Betting Percentages: CIN 61% | LAR 49%
• Game Info: Sunday Feb. 13, 2022 3:30 pm EST | NBC

Editor's Note - Odds are subject to change

Let’s agree that is not the matchup most NFL fans and pundits predicted before the start of the season. Heck, even after the postseason commenced, most were not picking both No. 4 seeds as the final two teams left playing on the biggest stage. Super Bowl LVI will feature Matthew Stafford and the NFC West champion Rams against Joe Burrow and the AFC North champion Bengals.

The Rams will be hoping history repeats itself on Sunday when Los Angeles becomes the second consecutive NFL team to represent their conference in the Super Bowl in their home stadium. As we know, Tom Brady and Tampa Bay became the first team ever to accomplish the feat last season and emerged with a victory over Kansas City.

The Bengals advanced to Super Bowl LVI after a shocking come-from-behind 27-24 overtime win over the Chiefs. The Bengals tied an AFC title record by equaling the largest comeback (18 points) in conference Championship game history. After beating Las Vegas, Tennessee and Kansas City, Cincinnati has now posted a 13-7 straight up (SU) record, which has also returned a solid profit for sports investors with an identical 13-7 against the spread (ATS) mark. The Bengals, who upset the AFC’s top-seeded Titans and the powerful Patrick Mahomes, have won six of their last seven games.

Get a free bet on SI Sportsbook every day leading up to the Big Game

Los Angeles enters Super Bowl LVI after overcoming a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit in the NFC Championship game to beat San Francisco, 20-17. After the victory, the Rams, who improved to 15-5 SU, are still only a pedestrian 10-10 (ATS). Los Angeles has been a solid investment for bettors over their last nine games, posting an 8-1 SU and 6-3 ATS mark.

The questions bettors must answer in this matchup are simple: Can Cincinnati, who is 7-0 ATS over their last seven games, pull the upset for the third consecutive game and deny Matthew Stafford’s quest for a ring? Or will the Rams’ dominant front seven led by Aaron Donald and Von Miller dominate the much-maligned Bengals offensive line?

The line has held steady since the opener of Los Angeles (15-5 SU; 10-10 ATS) as 4-point favorites over Cincinnati (13-7 SU; 13-7 ATS) at SI Sportsbook. The total, which opened at 50, has dropped to 48.5 following strong support backing the under. The two clubs have combined to play five of six games to the under in the playoffs. Upon a deeper dive, we discover that the Bengals have posted a solid 6-2 mark to the under in their last eight games overall, while the Rams have a slightly profitable 4-3 record to the under in their last seven.

Joe Burrow, who guided an explosive offensive attack that ranked seventh in scoring (27.1) in the regular season, has averaged 24.0 points per game in their three playoff wins. Burrow, who finished eighth among all quarterbacks with 34 touchdowns, has completed 68.8% of his passes resulting in 842 yards and four touchdowns in his first three career playoff starts. The second-year signal-caller has now thrown for 1,819 yards (363.8 yards per game) and 12 touchdowns in his last five games overall.

Get the latest odds for Super Bowl LVI from SI Sportsbook

Rookie wideout Ja’Marr Chase recorded consecutive 100-plus yard receiving efforts in his first two playoff games against the Raiders and Titans. In the AFC Championship, the star wideout was held in check by the Kansas City secondary, only posting 54 yards, but more importantly, he was able to haul in his first career touchdown.

Chase, who finished third among all wide receivers with 13 receiving touchdowns in the regular season, leads the team in receptions (20) and receiving yards (279) in the postseason. After seeing the success Deebo Samuel and Mike Evans enjoyed against the Rams secondary in the playoffs, Chase will easily be the most popular target of sports bettors looking to invest in the ‘over’ in all of his respective player proposition markets on Sunday.

On the other side of the formation, Tee Higgins has stepped up his production in the last two playoff wins. After grabbing seven of nine targets for 96 yards against the Titans, the former Clemson standout followed that up with six receptions for a game-high 103 yards against the Chiefs. As of Wednesday, oddsmakers at SI Sportsbook have Higgins listed with a receiving yard demand of 68.5 receiving yards. Upon a deeper dive, we find that Higgins has surpassed this number in six of his last eight games, making it an attractive wager.

In the regular season, Joe Mixon, who finished third in the NFL in rushing yards (1,205) and fourth in rushing touchdowns (13), posted his best rushing game in two months, gaining 88 yards on the ground in the AFC Championship. Los Angeles’ defense, which has been superb in the postseason allowing a meager 54.0 rushing yards per game in the playoffs, will need to contain the dangerous Mixon. The Rams, who have allowed 17 total touchdowns to opposing running backs in 20 games (0.85) this season, have only allowed two opposing running backs to top 100 yards rushing yards in a game (David Montgomery, 108; Chase Edmonds, 120). We have to go back to the first month of the regular season to find both of those efforts as the Rams have now gone 16 games without allowing an opposing running back to break the century mark.

Place four $10 wagers, get a 5th one free on SI Sportsbook

Matthew Stafford has been outstanding in the club’s three playoff wins, completing 72.0% of his passes with a 6:1 interception-to-touchdown ratio. Stafford, who finished third in the NFL in passing yards (4,886) and second in passing touchdowns (41), has also added two rushing scores in the postseason after not scoring any in the regular season. In 20 games this season, the Bengals have only allowed one rushing touchdown to an opposing quarterback (Trevor Lawrence, Week 4). Although the odds on Stafford scoring a touchdown is attractive at odds of +650, bettors should find other markets.

On Sunday, the Rams will face a Cincinnati defense that has forced six interceptions in the playoffs. In fact, the Bengals’ defense has been extremely opportunistic, making at least one interception in four of the last five games. Stafford is currently a strong favorite to throw at least one interception on Sunday at odds of -150 at SI Sportsbook.

Cooper Kupp's player props listed on SI Sportsbook

Cooper Kupp, who led all wideouts in the regular season in receptions (145), receiving yards (1,947) and receiving touchdowns (16), has been unstoppable in the postseason. Kupp leads all players in the postseason with 386 receiving and four touchdowns off a team-high 25 receptions in three games. Kupp’s receiving yard market, which opened at 99.5, has risen seven yards to 106.5 yards as of Wednesday at SI Sportsbook. Despite the strong move, respected money continues to back Kupp, surpassing this projection - a number he has gone beyond 13 times in 20 games. The 65% winning clip, combined with the 128.7 receiving yard average in the three postseason victories, has led to public and respected support for strong production at the betting windows.

In the playoffs, Odell Beckham has become an integral weapon for Los Angeles in the passing attack. Beckham, who has caught a touchdown in six of 11 games since being acquired from the Browns, averages 12.4 yards per reception in the three playoff wins. Hitting at a 55% mark since he joined Los Angeles, Beckham’s “Anytime Touchdown” offering of +120 is a viable option for those looking to juice up their Bet Builder wagers.

The Rams rushing attack received a massive boost from the return of Cam Akers (Achilles) in Week 17, but many respected bettors are split on his expected output due to his ball security issues. The second-year standout from Florida State fumbled twice against Tampa Bay in the Divisional round and nearly cost his team the win. There are some strong indications that Darrell Henderson, who has been out since Week 16 due to an MCL sprain, could also make his return in Super Bowl LVI. The Rams could potentially have all three of their talented backs in Akers, Henderson, and veteran Sony Michel on the field and healthy for the first time all season against Cincinnati.

As many great NFL coaches have always stressed, games are often won in the trenches. I can not get away from the dominant advantage the Rams defensive line holds over a shaky Bengals offensive line. Just how much of an advantage? Los Angeles finished third in the regular season with 55 team sacks, while on the flip side, Burrow was the most-sacked (51) quarterback in the NFL. If the Rams can shut down the run, as they have successfully done impressively thus far in the playoffs, Aaron Donald and Von Miller could wreak havoc if the Bengals are forced to become one-dimensional.

BET: Rams -4 (-110)

SI NFL BET REVIEW

For the third consecutive week, respected plays on NFL Playoff wagering did not get off to a good start. Championship weekend commenced with Kansas City blowing a second half lead and losing to the Bengals at home as 7-point favorites. The outright loss by the Chiefs killed our teaser before we could even have the opportunity to get to the second leg of the 49ers at +10.5. However, the weekend closed out strong as the Rams and 49ers stayed under 46 total points enabling a solid cash. Our receiving yards parlay, hooking up Deebo Samuel over 51.5 rec yds with Travis Kelce over 76.5 rec yds came through at odds of +249. Our final wager involving an Anytime Touchdown Parlay of Travis Kelce combined with Cooper Kupp also cashed at odds of +194. Overall, we had our best weekend of the playoffs up 4.3 units on the two title games.

2021 SI Betting Monday Night Football: 9-8 ATS / Props 16-12 +5.75 Units
2021 SI Betting Playoffs: 8-6-1 ATS & Prop Wagers +5.00 Units
2021 SI Betting NFL Football Overall YTD: 53-43-1 ATS & Props +15.22 Units
2020 SI Betting NFL Football: 72-58-1 ATS (55%)

Frankie Taddeo is a successful high-stakes fantasy football player who created the first-ever DFS program ever offered in a Las Vegas sportsbook. Frankie is SI Betting's Senior Analyst who provides his significant experience and resources in the sports betting scene. You can follow Frankie on Twitter @Frankie_Fantasy for his latest betting and fantasy insights from Las Vegas.