A team loaded with veteran talent built for a title run, the Los Angeles Rams had one objective in mind all season — an NFL championship — and now are one game away from fulfilling their goal, as they face the young and hungry Cincinnati Bengals in Super Bowl LVI.

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Bengals' rebuild way ahead of schedule

After finishing with a 4-11-1 record in the 2020 season, virtually no one expected Cincinnati to turn around and make a push for a Super Bowl title in 2021.

But Joe Burrow & Co. ignored the underdog narrative bestowed upon the team and upset both the top-seeded Tennessee Titans in the Divisional Round and the No. 2 seed Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC championship tilt to earn a berth in the big game, set for Feb. 13 inside SoFi Stadium.

In the first half of Sunday's conference championship clash, the Bengals appeared outmatched by Kansas City, as they fell behind 21-3 with five minutes left in the second quarter.

However, in the same fashion Cincinnati came from behind in Week 17, Joe Burrow spearheaded a rousing comeback to put his squad ahead by three points midway through the fourth quarter.

A Harrison Butker field goal tied the game 24-24 to send it to overtime, where the Chiefs got first possession by winning the coin toss.

A touchdown could have iced the game for one of the league's most lethal offenses, but Cincinnati's defense stepped up with an interception of Patrick Mahomes on his third play in extra minutes. Rookie kicker Evan McPherson then played hero with another game-winning field goal.

Cincinnati's defense intercepted Mahomes twice on the day and sacked him four times, including on third-and-goal at the Cincinnati 9 to force Butker's game-tying field goal at the end of regulation. 

Burrow finished 23-of-38 passing for 250 yards and threw two touchdown passes and an interception. Running back Joe Mixon added 88 rushing yards on 21 carries, while wideout Tee Higgins led all receivers with 103 yards on six catches.

Rams best longtime bully in NFC title game

In the NFC Championship Game, the Rams also needed a strong performance from their defense to stave off the 49ers, who had won six straight against Sean McVay's team.

Against an offense that averaged 127.4 rushing yards in the regular season, LA held the Niners' dynamic rushing attack to just 50 yards, including 20 from rookie standout Elijah Mitchell.

The Rams' offense did its part too, but experienced early struggles, as Matthew Stafford got picked off in the end zone on his second drive of the game.

He bounced back to finish with 337 yards on 31-of-45 passing, with two scores, including a fourth-quarter touchdown to receiver Cooper Kupp to bring the Rams within three points of the 49ers.

A Matt Gay field goal put the Rams up 20-17 with under two minutes in the fourth quarter, which left San Francisco quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo in the driver's seat to potentially win the game.

LA's defense packed on the pressure from there and forced a Garoppolo interception from San Francisco's 22-yard line. The Niners QB faced pressure on 44.4% of his dropbacks in the second half and completed four of 11 passes under pressure, per Next Gen Stats.

Kupp tallied a game-high 142 yards and a pair of touchdowns on 11 catches for the Rams, while Odell Beckham Jr. racked up 113 yards on nine receptions.

Rams and Bengals betting trends

• Los Angeles is 2-5 ATS in its last seven playoff games as a favorite
• Cincinnati is 7-0 ATS in its last seven games overall
• Cincinnati is 3-0-1 ATS in its last four playoff games
• The Under is 27-10-1 in LA's last 38 games as a favorite
• The Under is 4-0 in Cincinnati's last four games overall

Expect a nail-biter to close out the postseason

In Zac Taylor's third year as head coach of Cincinnati, he will square off in the Super Bowl against his former mentor, McVay, under whom Taylor worked as assistant wide receivers coach and quarterbacks coach with the Rams from 2017-19.

These two have met on the field once Taylor accepted his head coaching job. The result was a 24-10 victory by the Rams at Wembley Stadium in 2019, back when Jared Goff served as LA's quarterback and Andy Dalton was Cincinnati's starter.

This matchup is a whole different ballgame, with Stafford and Burrow at the helm of their respective offenses and newly added playmakers on both sides.

After back-to-back weekends of one-possession victories and game-winning drives, this Super Bowl showdown is destined for a thrilling ending, as well.

The Rams may boast more experience with their veteran talent, but the Bengals are riding a ton of momentum.

Look for Cincinnati to cover as a four-point underdog in its first Super Bowl appearance since 1989.

Score prediction: Rams 24, Bengals 21

Super Bowl LVI pick: Bengals +4

Super Bowl LVI pick powered by The Quant Edge

Our predictive engine is calling for the Rams to win outright.