Category: The All-22

Super Bowl LVI slot matchup: Mike Hilton vs. Cooper Kupp

Touchdown Wire’s Laurie Fitzpatrick rewinds the tape, examining prior matchups between Mike Hilton and Cooper Kupp.

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There will be several fascinating matchups in Super Bowl LVI, but the one between Rams (primary slot) receiver Cooper Kupp and Cincinnati Bengals (primary slot) defensive back Mike Hilton will be one of the most important.

There are many things that set Kupp apart from his competition. He prides himself on his quickness and route running techniques. Despite running a 4.6 — 40 time coming out of college, his quickness out of his release and into his break is what his opponents have a hard time defending. Kupp is playing at the top of his game right now currently holding the triple crown for receivers — first in receptions, yards and touchdowns.

(Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports)

On defense, Hilton is currently one of the best slot cornerbacks in the game right now. According to Pro Football Focus, Hilton is in the 93rd percentile of all slot coverage grades; and our own Doug Farrar ranked him fourth among all slot corners allowing 26 catches on 39 targets with an opponent passer rating of 75.4.

When we look at the Bengals’ defense as a whole, they have done a pretty good job locking down number one receivers this season. They held Justin Jefferson to only 5 receptions for 71 yards and 0 touchdowns. Keenan Allen had 5 receptions for 34 yards. In their last matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs, Tyreek Hill only went for 78 total yards, and 40 yards in week 17. The Bengals aren’t allowing 100+ yard reception games from any single receiver very often.

Hilton brings a different kind of toughness as a nickel corner, similar to Jalen Ramsey’s physicality where he can blitz, penetrate through blockers, drop into zone coverage but he performs his best when one-on-one shadowing receivers across the field using his 4.5 speed.

(Kareem Elgazzar-USA TODAY Sports)

Hilton has lined up on 83% of his snaps in the slot/nickel spot, and when we look at Kupp, he has been in the slot 63% of the time. So, it will be unlikely that Hilton will follow Kupp around the field, but when they are matched up in the slot expect a press coverage defense.

This isn’t the first time these two lined up across from each other. Back in 2019, when Hilton was with the Pittsburgh Steelers, these two faced off and the Steelers came out on top,12-17.

The most impressive part was how Hilton locked Kupp down, allowing no receptions on four targets.

The 2019 tape showed a lot of press coverage, where Hilton lined up right on the line of scrimmage across from Kupp.

Hilton is either in hard-press coverage, putting his hands on him disrupting his release, or in soft press, letting Kupp get off the line of scrimmage but staying hip-to-hip preventing separation throughout his route. In both coverages, it’s physical.

When the Bengals are in man coverage, expect them to leave Hilton on Kupp one-on-one until he reaches the top of his rout,, that is when the safety will come down to help prevent additional yards after catch.

We saw a similar game plan from the Bengals in the AFC Championship game against Tyreek Hill, who obviously brings a rare speed element to his slot opportunities..

In order to stop these speedsters, the defense must bracket them at the top of their route. This is still one-on-one, but with help over the top.

Hilton lines up with outside shade forcing him inside, funneling him into his help over the top.

This shade allows Hilton to break towards the ball if the play goes underneath, or he can trail his original man using his speed to catch up to maintain his leverage.

Earlier in the season, Hilton faced off against Las Vegas Raiders slot receiver Hunter Renfrow.

Hilton is lined up with the same outside shade forcing Renfrow into his safety but as he breaks outside the two are left one-on-one and Hilton uses his speed to catch up preventing the completion. Renfrow only totaled 58 yards on the day.

It’s important for any defender to line up with the outside shade in press against Kupp. He is a master at his craft and if you play off coverage, giving him room to juke you, he will do just that.

There will be times throughout the game where Hilton won’t have any help at all over the top. For instance, if Kupp is going to the outside, we may see them go at it mano a mano.

Back in 2019, we saw Kupp attempt to get outside and when Hilton attempted to stop him, it ended in a defensive pass interference penalty.

Expect the matchup to be physical if Kupp is forcing his way to the outside.

If the Rams want to isolate Kupp with Hilton, expect them to move some receivers around pre-snap.

If the Rams come out in trips, and Kupp is lined up in the middle, the Rams may motion the inside slot receiver to the other side of the field, taking away the help for Hilton. Here, the safety may be helping the outside cornerback). This is similar to a situation the Bengals saw against the Chiefs in the AFC Championship game.

On this play, Hilton is lined up directly in front of Byron Pringle. There is no shade or leverage in any direction, this gives Hilton a fair chance to keep up with the receiver no matter where he decides to cut. As Pringle is running a deep crosser behind the backside linebacker, Hilton uses his closing speed and physical defense at the catch to break up the pass.

When Hilton is playing off-coverage or has to catch up at the top of the receiver’s route, expect some physicality and a jersey grab making it tough for the receivers to secure the catch.

If the referees are allowing these guys to play on Sunday, expect Hilton to have a good day.

What makes Hilton one of the NFL’s best slot corners is his ability to tackle. Kupp is known for being one of the best run blockers at his position, so not only will we see them face-off during the pass, but also when the Bengals are defending the run.

This is where Hilton does his best work. In both clips above, Hilton sheds his blocker to make a play on the back.

With Hilton winning their first matchup in 2019, expect Kupp to want revenge. Over the last two years Kupp has transformed into one of, or arguably the best receiver in the NFL, but he was still dominant in 2019,.

Now with Matthew Stafford throwing him the ball, expect a better outcome for Kupp than his performance back in 2019, but that also means even more physicality (and more shutdown opportunities) from Hilton.

He who wins these battles might be in the lead for the next Lombardi Trophy.

4-Down Territory: NFL in courts and Congress, Super Bowl difference-makers, draft crushes

In this week’s “4-Down Territory,” Doug Farrar and Luke Easterling discuss the NFL’s misdeeds, Super Bowl hot-shots, and 2022 draft crushes.

Each week in “4-Down Territory, Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar, and Luke Easterling of Bucs Wire and Draft Wire, take on the NFL’s (and occasionally the NCAA’s) most pressing topics. In this week’s episode, our fearless experts tackle the NFL’s current issues in both the courts and in Congress, which player (or group of players) will make the biggest difference in Super Bowl LVI, and which 2022 prospects have officially reached “draft crush” status for both Doug and Luke.

You can watch the video right here:

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How the Bengals’ offensive line can survive the Rams’ pass rush in Super Bowl LVI

Touchdown Wire’s Laurie Fitzpatrick breaks out the all-22 to examine how the Bengals’ offensive line can hold up against the Rams’ defensive front.

Super Bowl LVI looks to have one of biggest strength-on-weakness matchups we’ve witnessed in a while: The Los Angeles Rams’ pass rush versus the Cincinnati Bengals’ offensive line.

We are all aware of the nine sacks the Bengals offensive line gave up against the Tennessee Titans in the Divisional matchup. The most impressive part of the playoffs so far, is how the offensive line bounced back the very next week against the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship game.

Out of 16 pressures, Joe Burrow only took one sack the entire game!

One way to keep your quarterback upright, is to hand the ball off. Against the Titans, the Bengals ran the ball only 18 times, but against the Chiefs, they handed it of 27 times.

There could be a similar game plan against the Rams next Sunday. Some may say it’s a conservative approach, and it is! but the Bengals have the offense to do it, and it will be necessary in order to keep Burrow off the turf.

When we take a look at the run game success, the Bengals came out in some heavy packages in order to move the line of scrimmage. They would force the defense to honor the run in the trenches, and then use heavy personnel groupings to disguise their play-action passes.

The Bengals’ jumbo look set the tone on the ground early. Even if there were lost yards, the offense was determined to run the ball, as they did this on first downs throughout the entire first half.

When you have one of the league’s top running backs in Joe Mixon, it’s necessary to feed him the ball; and the more blockers the better.

Throughout the entire game up until overtime, this jumbo package was moving the ball and was used on back-to-back snaps getting them into the red zone; giving kicker Evan McPherson a chip-shot to win the game.

Since the Bengals set the tone in the first half by running on first down, the play-action play call on the very first play out of the tunnel in the second half worked like a charm.

In the clip above, the Bengals are in 12 personnel, which is a run-heavy package with two tight ends on the field to help with blocking. The strong side tight end comes across the line of scrimmage at the snap to sell a counter run. Once Burrow stepped up in the pocket he saw how bad the the Chiefs linebackers bit on the play-action leaving Tee Higgins wide open down field for a 44 yard gain.

The misdirection in the run game is a Bengals specialty, as they have been using disguises all throughout the playoffs. We dove into their offense after the wild-card win over the Las Vegas Raiders.

How the Bengals used motion, deception to create a playoff-ready run game

Throughout the season, the Rams defense has allowed just a few 100-yard games on the ground. One of those games was against the Arizona Cardinals early-on. When we have a look at how they were able to find success on the ground, misdirections from 12 personnel were key.

In the clip below, the Cardinals have two tight ends on the line of scrimmage and a blocker in the backfield opposite defensive tackle Aaron Donald.

At the snap, the blockers come across the line pick up Donald as he penetrates the offense line, as we might see something similar happen to the Bengals offensive line.

The Rams saw similar looks against the San Francisco 49ers, as it seems like a game plan was to run the ball with more blockers up front as it then opens up the middle of the defense with play action.

In this same two-back set as the clip above, the Bengals are able to exploit the Rams defense with a screen pass to Mixon.

With Mixon and Ja’Marr Chase on offense, the Bengals have a pair that leads the league in yards after the catch. In order to utilize their skillset, a 0/1 to 3-step for Burrow will be key if he wants to get the ball out quick to avoid the pass rush. The Bengals have success running from this look and also passing.

If we take a look at the two clips, (above and below) the two plays look pretty similar.

With the 49ers offense in an empty set, it is an ideal formation to get the ball out of the quarterback’s hands even faster.

We’re not looking for the Bengals offensive line to completely stop the Rams up front. But building and progressing the run with extra blockers up front could very well put the Bengals in a good position through the air for the rest of the game.

VIDEO: Why is Tom Brady the greatest quarterback in NFL history?

In this video, Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar and Mark Schofield reflect on what made Tom Brady the greatest QB ever throughout his career.

In this video, Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar and Mark Schofield reflect on Tom Brady’s NFL career now that Brady has made his retirement official.

What are the quarterback non-negotiables Brady mastered at a higher level than anybody else?

How was he able to play so well in a modern NFL where second-reaction ability seems to be a requirement for quarterbacks?

Why was he able to excel in so many different offensive concepts, and why was this so uncommon?

Why was he able to play so well into his forties — by far better than any other quarterback in his forties — and is it a surprise at all that Brady’s hanging it up now when he’s still playing at an MVP level?

You can watch the video right here:

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Patrick Mahomes pressed his luck once too often on Chiefs’ final drive

Taking risks is part of Patrick Mahomes’ greatness, but in this AFC Championship game, the gunslinger game caught up to him in the end.

When Patrick Mahomes hit Mecole Hardman for a three-yard touchdown pass with 5:04 left in the first half, the Kansas City Chiefs held a 21-3 lead over the Cincinnati Bengals, and it looked for all the world that Mahomes and his crew were headed to their third straight Super Bowl.

But the Bengals roared back in championship form, tying the game with 14 seconds left in the third quarter. Joe Burrow threw a two-yard touchdown pass to Ja’Marr Chase, the Bengals converted the two-point try, and it was 21-21 at that point.

The key play came from Cincinnati defensive tackle B.J. Hill, whose tip interception set the Bengals up for that score.

B.J. Hill’s spectacular Big Man INT leads to Bengals tying Chiefs in AFC Championship game

The two teams traded field goals in the fourth quarter — Harrison Butker’s 44-yard field goal with time expiring sent things into overtime with a 24-24 score. When the Bengals lost the overtime coin toss, and Mahomes got the ball first… well, we were probably all thinking the game thing, right?

This game is over. 

But Mahomes made two killer mistakes on his first and only overtime drive. He managed to avoid paying for the first, and he paid dearly for the second.

On the second play of overtime, Mahomes tried to hit receiver Demarcus Robinson on a slant, cornerback Eli Apple jumped the route, and had Apple held onto the ball here, this was a pick-six, and your ballgame in the other direction.

So, Mahomes wriggled his way out of that one. But on the very next play, Bengals safeties Jessie Bates and Vonn Bell bracketed receiver Tyreek Hill downfield, and the two defenders combined to make an incredible, game-clinching interception.

On the replay, you can see the great job Bates did of getting his hand in to deflect the ball to Bell without committing pass interference. If sacks can be split between defensive players, this was a case where the interception should have been split between Bates and Bell.

Burrow drove his team downfield, and with 9:26 left in overtime, rookie kicker Evan McPherson booted the 31-yard field goal that sent the Bengals to their first Super Bowl since the end of the 1988 season.

As for Patrick Mahomes, he now has the entire offseason to get over those throws that went the wrong way.

It doesn’t take much at all when you’re trying to get to the Super Bowl. Whether you’re on the right side or not.

How the 49ers can — and must — solve the Jalen Ramsey problem

If the 49ers want to get to their second Super Bowl in three seasons, they’ll have to solve the Jalen Ramsey problem.

Rams cornerback Jalen Ramsey is arguably the best at his position in the NFL. His size, technique and anticipation are unmatched. This five-time Pro Bowler and three-time All-Pro will have a big task ahead of him as he must lead this Los Angeles Rams defense in physicality and communication against the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship game.

Oftentimes, opponents will avoid Ramsey’s side of the field completely, which means he won’t get many plays on the ball. Because of this, there are times Ramsey will overpursue in order to make a play. Some teams, including the 49ers, have used this against him.

It’s not often that Ramsey gets beat; and to be fair, the 49ers won’t have any Mike Evans-caliber receivers out there.

So, plays like this are unlikely to happen. The 49ers will have to take a different approach in order to beat Ramsey.

Two of the many traits of Ramsey’s game that take him to the next level are his physicality and mental processing. Since Ramsey can recognize a play developing, he does a great job closing to the ball quickly.

When Ramsey is the furthest defender to the outside without a wide out blocking, there is absolutely no point in running in his direction. He has proved that he will not be out muscled one-on-one.

One way the 49ers exploited his aggressiveness in 27-24 overtime win in Week 18 was to let Ramsey overpursue.

In the clip below, the tight-end sells the fake block perfectly and with the motion lead-blocking for Deebo Samuel, we can’t blame Ramsey for falling for that one. Who knew Samuel had an arm like that?!

The 49ers will have to have some tricks up their sleeve, and quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo will have to execute to perfection.

Against man coverage, Garoppolo might have to look off some his throws and use pump fakes to get his receivers open against Ramsey. On rub routes, he must remain patient and allow the pick to play out.

In week 10, Ramsey was defending the slot, as he went inside, the wideout took two steps forward then cut inside.

In Week 18, the 49ers used a similar rub route concept, except this time, Ramsey was lined up on the outside. He still bit on the underneath route.

Garoppolo’s pump fake really made the difference here and allowed his receiver to get some space from Ramsey.

In this zone-match defense, the other way to beat Ramsey is by forcing him to defend the in route when he is playing off coverage.

On these routes, since it’s tough to beat Ramsey over the top, underneath is the way to go. These routes are open. Keep in mind that if Ramsey is in zone, he won’t even break inside because the nickel corner will be there.

The next progression from the in route is the dig; this is where a receiver will fake a go route and then cut inside.

Ramsey has great anticipation but the chance of getting beat by a double move allows a little bit of separation at the receiver’s break.

Trick plays, rub routes and digs should all be in the game plan this weekend for the 49ers.

It’s almost impossible to avoid Ramsey completely, but these are a few ways to beat him in man and zone-match coverage. Garoppolo must sell his fakes, remain patient and try not to throw it to Ramsey when he is defending out routes, Those are his specialty.

If the 49ers solve the Ramsey problem, they could well be on their way to another Super Bowl.

Secret Superstars of the NFL’s conference championship games

Arik Armstead, Tyler Higbee, Sam Hubbard, and Juan Thornhill are four underrated players whose presence could mean a lot in the championship games.

Matthew Stafford. Joe Burrow. Patrick Mahomes. Nick Bosa. Aaron Donald. Cooper Kupp. Odell Beckham Jr. Tyreek Hill. Ja’Marr Chase. Deebo Samuel.

The Conference Championship games for the 2021 NFL season are filled with some of the league’s biggest names, and justifiably so. But every big game also has “smaller” names who rise up at the right time to make things happen when they’re most needed.

Here’s one under-the-radar player for each of the four remaining teams in the tournament, whose exploits could swing things in the directions of their franchises on the way to Super Bowl LVI.

How Joe Burrow can fill the Chiefs with anxiety using empty formations

Touchdown Wire’s Laurie Fitzpatrick goes to the film to explain why the Bengals should focus on empty formations in the AFC Championship game against the Chiefs.

If there’s one thing the Chiefs should expect to see in AFC Championship game against the Bengals, it’s Joe Burrow lined up in empty formations — with just Burrow in the backfield. This season, only Matthew Stafford has more passing attempts out of empty than Burrow, who has completed 87 of 123 passes in 139 dropbacks for 989 yards, 501 air yards, six touchdowns, four interceptions, and a passer rating of 97.2.

Lining up in empty will give the Bengals’ offense the few extra yards that they need to keep a drive going. It’s pretty much their go-to offensive formation when times get tough.

In Week 17 versus the Chiefs in a 34-31 win, Burrow attempted six passes out of empty, completing five for 39 yards. The explosive plays Burrow had didn’t come out of empty, but it helps sustain drives. Not only do the Bengals come out in empty but sometimes they motion from empty, or to an empty; putting running back Joe Mixon out wide. The motion gives Burrow a chance to see the defensive coverage.

Against the Titans in Cincinnati’s divisional round win, the Bengals were more aggressive with empty concepts, and that helped Burrow transcend the nine sacks he took to complete 28 of 37 passes for 348 yards.

Why the empty is so beneficial for the Bengals’ offense?

In order to get the receivers some space, the Bengals often use bunch trips. When the receivers are lined up close together, it forces the defense to take a few steps off the line of scrimmage to avoid any rub or pick routes.

On this play, the two inside receivers run straight providing an underneath lane for Mixon to catch a slant for some YAC. Unfortunately, this play resulted in a sack but the underneath was wide open.

Another way, the Bengals get success from empty is when they can get their guys in open space with screens and quick outs.

Joe Mixon and Ja’Marr Chase rank eighth and ninth in the league in total scrimmage yards, they are both so flexible in the run and passing game. Therefore, when lining a running back out wide, the defense is spread thin, with at least four defenders across the field.

On the play above, since the Chiefs defenders are in press, its easier to get a helmet on the defender to block him out of the way leaving a great opportunity for a tunnel screen.

Screens and quick passes will be key to sustaining long drives.

In the next clip, Mixon is first lined up out wide, but as he motions, the linebackers shift, taking linebacker Willie Gay Jr. out of the play.

The most effective way the Bengals use empty is in getting Chase one-on-one matchups on the outside.

Kansas City’s defense loves to get right in your face at the line of scrimmage, playing press-man coverage. The downside is that they leave little to no help over the top. The Bengals have so much confidence in their receivers to get out in open space, they will attack you with their playmakers if you don’t double team.

The quick pass to the outside has shown to be effective, but they also attack defenses deep when they first come out in an empty look.

In the next clip, Mixon is lined up in the slot with a defender in front of him. Once they motion him into the backfield that shifts the defense to the middle, having to honor either a run or if he crosses Burrow. This leaves Chase on an island with his cornerback.

The most important thing for the Bengals will be to sustain long drives, which keeps the ball out of Patrick Mahomes’ hands. It will also be crucial to match the Chiefs’ offense score-for-score. The Bengals will look to get the ball in the flat, underneath and outside the hashes to the sideline where Chase can do what he does best.

The Bengals also should know that this season, against empty formations, Kansas City’s defense has allowed 47 completions on 67 attempts out of empty this season for 522 yards, three touchdowns, two interceptions, and an opponent QBR of 95.5, which ranks 19th in the NFL. There are plays to be made out of empty, and the Bengals’ offense is set up to do it.

Film study: Why Fred Warner is crucial to Niners defense

Touchdown Wire’s Laurie Fitzpatrick breaks down film to explain why 49ers linebacker Fred Warner is so valuable.

The San Francisco 49ers improbably have earned a spot in the NFC Championship Game.

The sixth-seeded Niners were road underdogs against the Dallas Cowboys and Green Bay Packers. Undeterred, San Francisco won those games by six and three points, respectively.

Now, the Niners meet a familiar foe in the NFC West-rival Los Angeles Rams with a trip to Super Bowl LVI at stake.

San Francisco’s defense is playing at a high level, having only allowed three touchdowns in those two games. Aaron Rodgers and the Packers only reached the end zone once last week, and when we dove into the film, we saw why. The secret to the 49ers’ defensive scheme went through middle linebacker Fred Warner.

Last week, Warner and defensive end Nick Bosa were graded as the top defenders of the game by Pro Football Focus.

As PFF’s Seth Galina pointed out, for the entire game, the Niners’ defensive tackles lined up in 2i technique (off the center) forcing the double-team and freeing up the A gap for Warner to penetrate.

Most zone-blocking schemes use double-teams when running the ball up the middle, as the linemen work up to the second level of the defense.

The great thing about zone blocking is that if the running back has good vision and patience, the ground game can be extremely efficient. The downside is if you are playing a team with flexible defensive tackles, the defense can essentially open the lanes that it chooses depending on where its players line up. Once a gap is opened up from a double-team, the offensive linemen won’t have time to work their way up to the second level with a linebacker coming through the middle — as seen in the clip above.

Back in Week 18, the Rams offense ran similar plays. In the clip below, they clog the middle with blockers. But Warner switches to the B gap and makes the tackle, anyway.

One of the main differences between the first clip and the second was how motion shifted the linebackers, leaving the A gap devoid of defenders. If ball carrier Sony Michel would have cut to the outside, he may have had success against nickel cornerback Dontae Johnson as left guard David Edwards was working his way upfield.

A few weeks later, Warner no longer shifts, giving the offense no open lanes for the tailback.

Below is an example of Warner and weak-side linebacker Dre Greenlaw moving together on a string to keep the gaps plugged.

Over the course of the season, many of the Rams’ most successful run plays went to the outside. So the Rams might try to get between the ends and tackles (C gap) along the 49ers’ wide-nine defensive line.

Last week, Warner received the highest PFF grade of his career, 94.2. This grade was deserved not only because he dominated in stopping the run. He used the same aggressiveness and anticipation in the screen game as well.

In the clip below, Warner’s responsibility in coverage was to pick up tailback Aaron Jones escaping into the flat. But as soon as he notices the offensive linemen getting upfield, he no longer waits to be blocked. Instead, he engages Jones as the ball arrives from Rodgers.

We saw how Warner can be a force up the middle against the run and his aggressiveness when identifying a screen pass. Now let’s move on to the downfield passing game, where Warner’s coverage flexibility really is something special.

One of the best receivers in football right now, Cooper Kupp, is someone Warner will have to monitor when dropping back into zone coverage against the Rams — because the Niners can’t afford to give up big plays downfield.

On Sunday, expect to see Warner drop back into coverage with his eyes on Kupp. This will give the Niners’ defensive line time to apply pressure and try to force Stafford into bad throws. This is what led to an interception by the Niners defense in Week 18.

Similar to the clip above, last week against the Packers, Warner was aware of Green Bay’s No. 1 receiver, Davante Adams, who was running a crosser over the middle of the field.

Warner stays in the line of vision between Adams and his quarterback, forcing Rodgers to dump the ball off to tight end Marcedes Lewis. Warner then forced Lewis to fumble, and Greenlaw recovered. Turnovers such as these can change the complexion of a game.

Not only does Warner have good acceleration, but he also can drop into a deep quarter or third when asked.

Warner’s fluid hips and speed allow him to keep up with just about any tight end in the league. During this postseason, Warner ranks second overall among linebackers in pass coverage, with an 88.5 PFF grade when dropping back in man defense.

If the Rams come out in an empty set, expect Warner to cover tight end Tyler Higbee as he goes deep. This will be a key man-coverage matchup to look for. When Warner drops into zone coverage, he will be looking to help bracket Kupp as he runs across the middle of the field. (Bracketing is when one defender is high, above the receiver, and another defender is low, in front).

If the Niners are to beat the Rams on Sunday, the San Francisco defense must play a big role — and the Rams would be wise to account for Warner in both the passing and run game.

NFC Championship preview: How the 49ers can beat the Rams

The San Francisco 49ers and the Los Angeles Rams meet for the third time this season, now with a trip to the Super Bowl on the line. Here is how the 49ers beat the Rams.

And then, there were two.

NFC West rivals square off Sunday with a trip — or at least a short excursion — to Super Bowl LVI on the line. When the Los Angeles Rams kick things off against the San Francisco 49ers, it will be the third meeting this year between these two franchises.

Unfortunately for the Rams and their fans, the first two meetings did not go their way.

Back in Week 10, the 49ers won in dominant fashion, topping the Rams by a final score of 31-10. That game was perhaps notable for how the 49ers began the game, putting together an 18-play drive that covered over 11 minutes of game time, nearly the entire first quarter, that gave the 49ers an early 7-0 lead.

San Francisco followed that with a Pick-Six of Matthew Stafford on the Rams’ ensuing possession, and things were trending in their direction early.

Then in Week 18, with quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo dealing with a thumb injury and the 49ers needing a win to get into the playoffs, San Francisco pulled out a three-point win in overtime, setting the stage for their playoff run.

So how does the third meeting between these teams play out? Do the 49ers make it a perfect 3-0 against the Rams on the season, or does Los Angeles become the second-straight team to play a Super Bowl in their home stadium?

Here is what the 49ers have to do to beat the Rams.