The Super Bowl is usually, historically, all about the stars.
The Starr’s. The Montana’s. The Rice’s. The Brady’s.
But none of the faces of the league’s biggest stage would be as successful or famous if it weren’t for lesser-heralded names stepping up in the clutch.
If Desmond Howard doesn’t have a historic kick-return effort, Brett Favre’s Packers never win the Super Bowl. The Greatest Show on Turf Rams don’t make the “Gateway to the West” the “Gateway to the Best” if Mike Jones doesn’t make a game-saving tackle on the one-yard line. Eli Manning’s Giants wouldn’t have stopped the 2007 Patriots from undefeated greatness if not for a practice squad player like David Tyree making the catch of his life–maybe the best catch in Super Bowl history.
When the Bengals (+4.5) and Rams take the field on Sunday for Super Bowl LVI, chances are it’ll be another role player stealing the limelight to seal a win. The peak of the playoffs is for the underdog, after all. Here are the likeliest out-of-nowhere hero candidates for Cincinnati and Los Angeles.
All odds and numbers courtesy of Tipico Sportsbook.