TERRY MOSHER
TOP OF THE TOWN – The betting favorite for the Super Bowl on Sunday is the Los Angeles Rams. But the general feeling I get is most people think the Rams will win, but are hoping they are wrong and are rooting for the Cincinnati Bengals to pull off the upset. That seems strange, doesn’t it? Bet one way and hope it turns out the other way. But you know, I feel the same way. I hope the Bengals will win, but believe the Rams will come out the victor. For me, it’s the underdog mentality. I usually go with the underdog and in this case it’s Joe Burrow and the Bengals. So why don’t I go all the way in and just say the Bengals will win. Now I have to figure out how they do it. A Cincinnati weakness is its offensive line, especially the right side. Burrow was sacked 55 times this season and the Rams’ Aaron Donald, the best defensive lineman in the NFL, is a big-big problem. How can the Bengals slow him down? The best answer is for Burrow to release the ball quickly. That means short passes to a running back or slants to Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. The Rams’ Jalen Ramsey, the best cover corner in the league, will be all over Chase, which makes it even more difficult for Burrow. What I’m banking on is YAC — yards after catch. The Rams are weak in this aspect of their defense. They give up a lot of YAC. So if Chase or Higgins can escape for big plays that will help. Maybe the top reason for believing the Bengals can win is what happens early in the game. It’s my contention that Rams’ coach Sean McVay will be aggressive early and get an early lead, say, 14-0, in the first quarter and put the Bengals back on their heels. If McVay can pull that off, it will look good for bettors. Not so fast. The Bengals are a good second-half team. They likely will be down at halftime, but I predict their defense will tighten and the real battle will ensue in the fourth quarter. Pressure will mount and the first quarterback to flinch will lose. Burrow is “Joe Cool” and I believe he won’t flinch. On the other hand, Matt Stafford will be on the big stage for the first time after spending lost seasons in Detroit. He will flinch. I think he’s vulnerable to making mistakes. He had 18 interceptions this season and sometimes can be off target on his throws. Cincinnati will take advantage of his mistakes and intercept him several times, and one of them will be a pick-six. So there you have it. The Bengals win. Let’s say 34-26.