The big game is finally upon us. After five hard and gruelling months, the biggest game of the season is here. It is a Super Bowl that would have come in a bold prediction take to start the season. So, it is only fair to give some bold predictions for the showpiece of the most unpredictable NFL season ever.
1. Joe Burrow will replicate his National Championship performance
Joe Burrow came into the NFL after the greatest season for a quarterback in college history. His final game for LSU was in the National Championship, where they defeated the Clemson Tigers 42-25. However, what was truly incredible about the game was Burrow's performance. He threw for 463 yards and five touchdowns, and in addition to that, he also ran for 58 yards and a score.
The 25-year-old is a man for the biggest of occasions. He secured the Comeback Player of the Year after guiding the Bengals to an AFC North title. He has never lost a playoff game following his final year with LSU, and he beat the Tennessee Titans on the road and then beat the Kansas City Chiefs in Arrowhead. He is a player that will never shy away, and this Sunday will be no different.
2. The Rams to have ten or more sacks
During the Bengals win over the Titans, they allowed Burrow to be sacked a whopping nine times. That proved to be a record in a game in which the quarterback being sacked still won the game. However, Burrow thought that afternoon was bad? Wait till he has to face Aaron Donald, Von Miller and Leonard Floyd. They are one of the most dangerous trios in the NFL.
The Bengals will have a very difficult job of blocking three elite pass rushers. It may take a double or triple team to block Donald alone, thus leaving the opportunity for Miller and Floyd to go one-on-one. It could get ugly very early if they cannot stop that pass rush.
3. Both teams top three leading receivers to have 50+ yards each
It is very rare for a team to spread the ball to all of their top three receivers in a game, let alone the Super Bowl. The last time two teams had three receivers with 50+ yards in a game was Super Bowl 52 between the Eagles and Patriots. That game was a shootout, and Sunday night has the potential to be one.
The firepower on both sides of the ball shows just how plausible it may be, but it rarely ever happens. The Bucs top three receivers from last year all had less than 50 yards. It is difficult to do so, but this group of players are capable. Cooper Kupp will have plenty of attention opening the game up for OBJ and Van Jefferson, but as we have seen, Kupp is more than capable of conjuring up something magic himself. Then the three Bengals receivers all almost had 1000 yard season themselves. Burrow loves to spread the ball around, and there is no doubt that this match could become a shootout.
4. Von Miller will win his second Super Bowl MVP
Matthew Stafford, Joe Burrow, Cooper Kupp, Ja'Marr Chase, and Aaron Donald are the top five names to be the Super Bowl MVP, but how poetic would it be for Von Miller to win it? The edge rusher was traded to the Rams midseason with the Broncos season evidently going nowhere, and he now has a chance to add to his legendary career.
Miller was the Super Bowl MVP in Denver's win over the Panthers, where he caused disruption all game. Against a more suspect offensive line and on a defensive line with more star power, it could be his night. If he was to win the award, he would create a first in the NFL. A non-quarterback has never won two Super Bowl MVP's in their career. Miller has the chance to make history come Sunday.
5. Evan McPherson to kick a 60+ yard game winner
This postseason has seen the legend of rookie kicker Evan McPherson continue to grow. He already kicked a 52-yard game-winning field goal in Tennessee, having said that the Bengals were going to the AFC Championship. He then kicked a field goal to send Cincinnati into the Super Bowl. It would be incredible to see him kick a 60 yarder to win the entire thing.
Cincinnati has a habit of drafting great kickers. They drafted Jake Elliott in the 2017 draft but stashed him on the practice squad. The Eagles would snap him up, and Elliott would play a vital role in the team's Super Bowl run. It is important to remember that he kicked a 60-yard winning field goal that year, as well as the final points in Super Bowl 52. It would not shock anyone to see McPherson smash a 60 yarder with time expiring.
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