Super Bowl Sunday, hosted by the National Football League (NFL), is only a couple of days away and the teams are official. The Los Angeles Rams and the Cincinnati Bengals are facing off in the SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, California on February 13th. Arguably, the best Super Bowls are the games where two underdogs compete for the climax of the season. Both teams are hungry for a Lombardi Trophy, named after NFL legend Vince Lombardi. Lombardi was a coach for the Green Bay Packers and took them to three Super Bowls. The trophy was named after him because of his symbolic determination that each Super Bowl contender bestows. This award is one of the highest honors of a team’s career. Followers of the games were expecting the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers, but instead got the opponents of the two games. 

In the final stretch of the Cincinnati Bengals and Kansas City Chiefs’ game, Joe Burrow, the Bengals’ starting quarterback, threw a touchdown into the endzone, but the ref whistled before the touchdown was complete. Speculation is the ball was considered dead because of the whistle, but was immediately confirmed a touchdown. The ball was midair when the whistle was blown. Every uncertain touchdown play was reviewed and it was confirmed that Burrow did not step out of bounds before throwing the ball for a touchdown. According to ESPN, the refs that officiated the Chiefs vs. Bengals game will not be allowed to officiate during the Super Bowl because of the controversy. Questionable calls are made yearly in the playoffs, sometimes costing the opposing team their chance of advancing to the Super Bowl.

If someone said the Bengals and the Rams were going to the Super Bowl at the beginning of the playoff games, nobody would have agreed. Historically, neither of the teams have been to many Super Bowls. According to SportingNews, the Bengals have been to two Super Bowls, but have never been able to secure the Lombardi Trophy. The team attended the 1982 and 1989 games and lost to the 49ers. The team currently is tied with the Carolina Panthers and the Atlanta Falcons second for the most losses without a win in the Super Bowl. And following the Minnesota Vikings with four losses (Sutelan). If there are any non-bandwagon Bengals fans that have stuck around, they must be very excited for this game.

What makes the Super Bowl one of the most heavily televised events of the year is the halftime show. Each year a different artist, or group of artists, performs an extraordinary show. This year, the halftime show is featuring Eminem, Snoop Dogg, Mary J. Blige, Kendrick Lamar, and Dr. Dre, according to ESPN. Traditionally, there has been a pattern of having one person perform, but this year there are multiple artists. If you have yet to watch a Super Bowl halftime show, this will be the halftime performance to watch.

The Rams aren’t frequent Super Bowl competitors. According to SportingNews, they have been to the Super Bowl only four times. Their first Super Bowl appearance was in 1980 and their last Super Bowl appearance was in 2019, but they have only won their 2000 Super Bowl. In 2000, the Rams beat the Tennessee Titans. Unlike the Bengals, the Rams have a Lombardi Trophy.

Some people see the Super Bowl as the one time of year where the commercials aren’t completely horrid, but to NFL fans, Super Bowl Sunday is an extraordinary day of history. This year Joe Burrow, the Bengals’ starting quarterback, and Matthew Stafford, the Rams’ starting quarterback, are going head-to-head in Super Bowl LVI. Both teams were considered underdogs, thus showing that they’re both ‘hungry’ for the honorary Lombardi Trophy. With both teams having one or no Super Bowl trophies, the passion and drive will make for a dramatic end to the ‘21 to ’22 NFL season.