The Los Angeles Rams defeated the Cincinnati Bengals in Super Bowl LVI, making former Oregon Ducks Justin Hollins and Johnny Mundt champions for the first time in their NFL careers.
The Bengals hung around for the entire game thanks to strong play from their defense and a solid performance from quarterback Joe Burrow, but ultimately LA’s imposing defensive front got to Burrow enough in the second half to secure the victory.
Burrow took seven sacks in the game, exposing Cincy’s offensive line as the team’s fatal flaw – a widely held belief coming into the game.
In fact, the Bengals offensive line has been a topic of conversation all season long, especially because they had a chance to upgrade in a significant way during the 2021 NFL draft, where they opted to take LSU wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase No. 5 overall, instead of Oregon offensive tackle Penei Sewell.
Sewell went seventh to the Detroit Lions and had an outstanding rookie season, establishing himself as a perennial Pro Bowl candidate and one of the best young tackles in the NFL.
Chase was no scrub, hauling in 81 receptions for 1,455 yards and 13 touchdowns, but Cincy’s struggles to protect their quarterback late in the game bring in to question once again the decision to take a receiver – widely viewed as an area of strength – instead of taking Sewell, who could have immediately shored up the offensive line.
Sewell alone wouldn’t fix all of the Bengals issues, and trying to block Aaron Donald and the rest of LA’s frontline is no easy task, but Chase is a tough player to utilize at his full capacity if Burrow doesn’t have enough time to get him the ball – a fact that was fully on display on the final play of the game for Cincinnati on Sunday:
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