On Sunday, Jan. 30, the Cincinnati Bengals beat the Kansas City Chiefs, 27-24, claiming their spot in the 2022 SuperBowl, Super Bowl LVI, and making their first Super Bowl appearance in 33-years.
The Bengals have only been to the Super Bowl two times prior, making their first appearance in the 1982 Super Bowl, Super Bowl XVI, and then again in the 1989 Super Bowl, Super Bowl XXIII. Ironically, they played the San Francisco 49ers both times, but this time will be a different story. The Los Angeles Rams beat the 49ers, 20 – 17, to claim their spot in the Super Bowl and become NFC Champions.
Starting off the 2021 season, many speculated about the team they would see on the field this year, especially after the Bengals 4-11-1 record in the 2020 season. The Bengals would only go on to win four games last season, winning against the Jacksonville Jaguars (33-25), Tennessee Titans (31-20), Pittsburgh Steelers (27-17), and Houston Texans (37-31). The team would tie only with the Philadelphia Eagles (23-23) and endure 11 losses during the regular season.
The Bengals, this season, looked to be heading in the right direction; finishing the regular season with ten wins and seven losses, a 10 -7 record. They would also be on their way to becoming AFC Champions.
Going to the Super Bowl isn’t the only good thing to happen to the Bengals this season; they also supposedly broke a 31-year “curse” known as the “Curse of Bo Jackson.” So what exactly is this curse?
The last time the Bengals were playing in a playoff game, it was against the Las Vegas Raiders in 1991, back when the team was still in Las Vegas. In this game, Bengals linebacker Kevin Walker would go on to tackle Raiders quarterback, Bo Jackson, dislocating his hip and eventually ending his NFL career. Since then, the Bengals hadn’t won a playoff game. Their luck changed when they beat the Raiders 26-19 in their first playoff game in decades.
SuperBowl LVI will be played at SoFi Stadium for the first time ever, giving the LA Rams a bit of a home-field advantage; even though they won’t be considered the home team, the Bengals will. Yes, that’s correct: the Bengals will be the “home” team for SuperBowl LVI, while the Rams will be the “visitors”. Why? It has to do with the NFL’s rules on the matter.
The home team can come with its advantages, like the coin toss and uniforms. There is speculation that teams who wear white jerseys during the game have a higher chance of winning but for the most part, that’s all just superstition.
Being the home team, the Bengals get to pick what jersey they wish to wear during the game. They took to Twitter to announce they went with their black jerseys, which means the Rams will be in white. The last time the Bengals were in the Super Bowl they wore white and lost, so this decision might not have been that hard for them to make.
Winning the Super Bowl is a huge honor and the Bengals have yet to win one. The Rams, on the other hand, won their first Super Bowl back in 2000.
Super Bowl LVI will have halftime performances by Mary J. Blige, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, and Kendrick Lamar, and will air Sunday, Feb. 13 at 6:30 p.m. on NBC. Those without cable can stream the game live on Peacock, Hulu with Live TV, DirecTV Stream, FuboTV, Sling TV, and YouTube TV.
Harley Johnson
Executive Editor