Good game I was rooting for Cincinnati but ok with the Rams and Donald and Stafford getting a SB win. They deserve it Burrow will have more opportunities. I think the Bengals showed they can play defense.
Yeah Corey, it was a good game. Especially till the refs got involved late. But in looking at the two teams playing, two things hit me. First, it showed just how far the Bears are from that level of play. Second, I don't see either team going back to the SB any time real soon.
We have to remember, these were two teams that were the 4th seed in each conference, although the Rams did win 12 regular season games. I do think the Rams will get back before the Bengals do depending on a few things.
First, is Aaron Donald going to retire or not? He has talked about it and if he does it will really hurt their defense and Floyd will be nowhere near as effective as he is now. The Rams didn't run the ball well although the OL was solid. Beckham is done with LA and maybe for good depending on how the knee is.
The Rams were in a very good division. I don't think AZ will be worse next year. SF might be, however. And SEA will be better. Their road back is not going to be as hard as CIN's road will be. But we all know how hard it is to get back to the SB right away. Makes a person appreciate what Brady did.
For the Bengals, Burrow will be going up against Lamar Jackson and the Ravens twice a year, possibly, for years. The Browns will be better next year and even though PIT will be going through a rebuild, Mike Tomlin will keep that team competitive. Outside their division, they still have the Bills, Chiefs, Chargers, Patriots and Titans to contend with at playoff time among other teams that may improve.
AND if CIN does not improve that OL, Burrow may likely be out of the league in 3 or 4 years due to injury. They can't keep letting him get hit and expect anything else.
Both teams played well enough to get there, but I don't think either team was the best in their conference. But an argument can be made, somewhat, for LA.