Cold Open
Two contrasting ways to build a team have led us to this juicy and different Super Bowl matchup. There's no Tom Brady or Peyton Manning. There's no Ben Roethlisberger, Drew Brees, or Aaron Rodgers. And there's no Patrick Mahomes or Andy Reid. But there's a Joe Burrow, who's only a few years removed from a national title win, and Matthew Stafford, who prior to this year, played his biggest national TV games on Thanksgiving with the Lions.
Is the best route to a championship getting lucky and hitting on big draft picks following disastrous seasons? Or is it buying a championship by trading every first-round draft pick for the foreseeable future, and signing whoever you can to pad the roster? That sure is the difference between the Bengals and Rams entering Sunday.
The underdog in a Super Bowl becomes fun to root for, because for so many years, we've been trained to identify the favorite as the enemy. Usually, those enemies were Tom Brady and Bill Belichick. But this year's favorite is different. The Rams have Sean McVay, a seemingly likeable coach. They have Stafford, who escaped football purgatory after giving his entire body to the Lions, and is playing for glory now. As a favorite, the Rams should be easy to get behind.
But how can America not love Joe Burrow and these Bengals? The hapless Bengals -- after years of wasting an AFC playoff spot with Andy Dalton, after enduring Carson Palmer's knee injury in a playoff game -- felt forever cursed. But they found an elite quarterback in Burrow, by sucking in the perfect year to have the first-overall pick. Bengals fans have paid their dues.
Brady has retired. As has Roethlisberger. The Chiefs are really good but hardly a dynasty. The parity we've craved and patted the league on the back for may truly be here, and it's represented by this Super Bowl. The NFL is a copycat league. Will the Rams push teams to sell what they can to buy a ring, or will the Bengals prove that championships are still built through the draft? Either way, this is a refreshing Super Bowl, in what feels like the start of a refreshing era of football.
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My Pick for Super Bowl 56
I went 1-1 on Championship Sunday ATS, which has me at 36-24-1 overall this season. I can punctuate the best season picking games in the history of this column with a winner on Sunday. There'll be some props I love, so make sure to follow me on Twitter (@MrazCBS) for those Sunday. Anyway, here we go...
Bengals (+4) vs. Rams: As of Wednesday, the vast majority of spread tickets nationwide have come in on the Rams. That shouldn't be surprising, considering the casual bets based on Rams star power, the simple fact that their pass-rush feasts, and the Bengals' pass protection must be questioned after that nine-sack game against the Titans. For me, while it's easy to look at trends, matchups, and analytics, sometimes you do need to factor in the unexplainable. There's a certain degree of magic combined with edginess that the Bengals have that can't be ignored. This is also a bit of a cowardly play by me, as I don't know if I'll fully commit to the Bengals winning outright on the money line.
But a number north of three is far too much for me to not take the Bengals. Burrow, one way or another, will walk off the field Sunday for the last time with either the lead or a tie. Could the Rams have time on their side and a play to Cooper Kupp that sets up a walk-off field goal? Sure, they're that talented. But the Bengals will never feel out of this game, even if they go down early. Their comeback against the Chiefs further proves that. Burrow is Joe Cool, and will remain so on this grandest of stages. WHO DEY.
Football Food of the Week
It's been an up and down season for the Food of the Week. Plenty of success stories and plenty of question marks from The DA Show staff. We'll end with a perfect idea from none other than the Bourbon Belle herself, DA's wife.
GOLD STAR CHILI.
The Bengals are in the Super Bowl. Haven't been able to say that since I was a toddler. So why wouldn't Cincinnati's food be on your snack table? Sky Line chili is served over spaghetti which, even if it sounds gross, is it in actuality? Who doesn't love pasta? Chili is meat-based. We eat pasta with meat, so have at it. Gold Star Chili, though, comes from the original Gold Star Restaurant in Cincy. They have canned up their chili, and it can be found at any Wal-Mart.
Pop that can, get creative with a huge chili topping spread. Get the spaghetti out to have everyone at your party try Sky Line Chili. Make some hot dogs to serve chili dogs, do pigs in a blanket and dip those into the chili. Have tortilla chips? Make Gold Star Chili nachos. Your party should eat so much Gold Star Chili as Burrow tries to win a Super Bowl, that your guests are as sick to your stomach as you are after an awful parlay loss.
Thanks for reading this season, and enjoy Super Bowl 56. You can follow me on Twitter and Instagram @MrazCBS.
