Bengals-Rams: Running Super Bowl LVI thread

Whatever any coaches' faulty play-calling, all the penalties in the last three minutes -- what was going on all of a sudden?-- a halftime show I didn't like, and the seemingly sudden jump from the Super Bowl to the Olympics, I enjoyed this game a lot. It was an easy, competitive, interesting watch with an exciting, somewhat unexpected (at that point) end.

 

Yup. Got to give it to Mixon there and get the first down. It's not like Mixon can't catch. I get that Perine is a third-down back, but maybe have the ball in the hands of your best players.

 

Like the Rams did. Game, set, Super Bowl...

I actually felt kind of bad for the Bengals.

 

Agreed. He dominated when it mattered. I understand why they gave it to Kupp. That game-winning touchdown drive was mostly him, but Donald vs. the Bengals' line was the matchup that made the most difference.

 

I was just about to say the same thing.

His career numbers are all going to be huge, and with the Super Bowl win that may be enough to put him in.

But it would be kind of crazy seeing a QB go in the hall with exactly one Pro Bowl selection.

 

It was an excellent game. I think that Chiefs-Bills was so amazing (one of 5-6 best I've ever seen) that merely excellent games might seem dull by comparison, but as someone for whom three of the first four Super Bowls I covered had a combined score of 143-30, I give this one a solid score on the entertainment scale.

 

I don't know how you can't see it.

On the first play of the second half, the officials ignored a blatant facemask penalty on the Cincy WR, allowing the Bengals to score, setting up the need to call penalties late against the Rams, so they could almost cover the spread. It's genius, really. The calls made sure that the over came within 5.5 points of hitting, meaning if you teased the Rams and the over, and Cincy and the under, or any combination thereof, you hit all four. Fucking brilliant how they do this without being obvious. Right on live teevee.

 

I think co-MVPs would've been most appropriate, but really, ever since they let the fans vote, it's an especially meaningless award.
Brian J, do you think jet fuel can't melt steel beams, too?

 

If you thought my post was serious, one of us needs to up our game. Probably me. It's late.

 

Probably both of us. Beer and barbecue taste great, but they do slow down the frontal lobes by 11.

 

I was explaining to the younger people at work how almost every Super Bowl used to be a blowout. Now, other than Seattle-Denver, the last 20 or so have been mostly competitive.