When the championship-or-bust Los Angeles Rams take the field on Sunday for their Super Bowl 56 battle against the Cincinnati Bengals, Robert Woods won't be in full uniform and pads. Nearly three months ago, the 29-year-old receiver suffered a season-ending knee injury during practice, and he's had to watch his teammates from the sideline ever since.
But Woods has overcome the disappointment of not being able to play and contribute in his second career Super Bowl. And throughout these playoffs, he's been able to help his fellow receivers mentally prepare for the pressure-packed environment by sharing advice from firsthand experiences. In Woods' mind, the Super Bowl shouldn't be treated as bigger than any other game.
"Watching the games from the couch, rooting them on, and seeing them from a different perspective, and now being able to attend some of the games, get with the guys, go to the facility, get my rehab in, it really makes me feel a part of it," Woods told the Maggie and Perloff show on Wednesday. "And so do the guys. This is a different experience, being hurt in the Super Bowl. But we've got to win it. I'm sharing memories with the guys from my past experiences.
"Telling them keys and cues, what we need to do to win it this time... We're sleeping at home, training at our same facility -- so it's our same routine, up until Saturday. It could work out in our favor with our rest, being at home, and being familiar in our stadium... You get a little excited or maybe overwhelmed that you're at this game and moment. And I was just telling them, it's a normal game... My advice for them would be to stay poised..."
The Rams' all-in gamble of capturing Super Bowl 56 on home turf is close to paying off. They outlasted the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC title game on Jan. 30, as veteran quarterback Matthew Stafford orchestrated three fourth-quarter scoring drives for 13 unanswered points. Before the game, the team was a ghastly 0-14 under head coach Sean McVay when trailing by 10-plus points entering the fourth quarter.
As for Woods, he was well on pace to producing his third 1,000-yard season in the last four years. In nine games, he racked up 45 catches for 556 yards with four touchdowns through the air and one on the ground. Ironically, the day before Woods went down, the Rams struck a deal with Odell Beckham following his release from the Cleveland Browns. Since then, Beckham has recorded six touchdowns for 541 yards.
Los Angeles and Cincinnati are scheduled to kickoff at 6:30 ET on Sunday at SoFi Stadium. According to FiveThirtyEight's projections, the Rams currently have a 68-percent chance to hoist their first Lombardi Trophy since 1999.
The entire football conversation between Woods and Maggie and Perloff can be accessed in the audio player above.
You can follow the Maggie and Perloff Show on Twitter @MaggieandPerl and Tom Hanslin @TomHanslin.