Sans a division rival or Tom friggin’ Brady, Super Bowl LVI carries one of the least offensive matchups Carolina Panthers can find. So, if you’re in that particular group of viewers (and don’t have any guap down on the game), you may be also trying to find a rooting interest for Sunday.
Well, look no further than the Cincinnati Bengals!
The AFC champions carry a total of five former Panthers on their roster—which is four more than the NFC champion Los Angeles Rams can claim. Being that the Panthers themselves can’t capture the Lombardi Trophy, then maybe cheering on some old friends is the best route to take for this one.
Those players include:
- CB Eli Apple
- DT Zach Kerr
- LB Clay Johnston
- RB Elijah Holyfield
- RB John Brannan
Three of the five familiar faces are members of the Bengals’ active roster—Apple, Kerr and Johnston. Holyfield, who broke into the league with the Panthers as an undrafted free agent in 2019, and Brannan, a Charlotte, N.C. native, are currently on Cincinnati’s practice squad.
Kerr, oddly enough, will be facing the Rams for the second time this postseason. His first encounter with Los Angeles came in a Wild Card Round loss as a member of the Arizona Cardinals.
Johnston has already made a unique stamp of his own as well in the playoffs. His stop of running back Derrick Henry on a 2-point try helped the Bengals upset the Tennessee Titans in the Divisional Round.
And Apple, of course, is Apple. Certainly no stranger to the spotlight this season, the former first-round draft pick is playing the best ball of his six-year NFL career—which, contrary to what Matt Rhule may have told him, is still alive and well.
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