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2022 Super Bowl pick, odds, props and best bets: Rams smash Bengals, Matthew Stafford wins MVP

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This truly is the most unusual Super Bowl — a West Coast matchup of two teams no one thought would end up here, minimal in-week storylines and the odd setting of Los Angeles, a city largely unaffected by a massive event like what is set to unfold on Sunday. 

Where are the storylines? All week long it’s been very low-key chatter from these teams. Joe Burrow and Matthew Stafford both ooze quiet confidence, and by all accounts through pool reports from practice, there’s been no injuries nor distractions for either team. 

Let’s dissect who we think will win and get to some props as well. 

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All NFL odds are via Caesars Sportsbook

Super Bowl Picks

Sunday, 6:30 p.m. ET
TV: 
NBC | Stream: fuboTV (click here)
Follow: CBS Sports App

Latest Odds:

Cincinnati Bengals
+4

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Betting against Burrow feels like a stupid move. The guy just wins and he really just wins when it comes to big moments and big games. But I can’t shake the idea of the Rams dominating in this game. No one “wants it more” when it comes to the Super Bowl, but the Rams landing Von Miller didn’t just inject life into the pass rush. Les Snead and Sean McVay also got Aaron Donald a “championship mentor” of sorts in the former Broncos pass-rusher — as Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic wrote, Miller gave Donald some motivation to inspire his teammates. 

Donald and Miller and Leonard Floyd are just a flat-out problem for the Bengals offensive line, by far their biggest weakness. As long as the Rams can protect Stafford — who has for the most part been lights out in the playoffs through three games — Los Angeles should be able to pick apart the Bengals’ secondary with its multitude of weapons. 

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After being activated on Friday, Darrell Henderson gives Sean McVay three different running backs he can deploy should he get a lead. I expect lots of early runs, maybe a trick play here or there, but a distinct lack of points scored in the first half. Maybe things get cranked up in the third quarter, particularly if the Bengals or Rams are sitting on a double-digit lead and the other team is forced to throw.

Personally I believe that will be the Rams with a lead. McVay has been here before and he only scored three points. I expect him to be aggressive in his pursuit of touchdowns, knowing the pain of being flummoxed by a defense on this huge stage. He won’t be overwhelmed the way he was when he squared off against Bill Belichick. Zac Taylor is the guy we should be worried about when it comes to “the moment being too big” — Burrow won’t be overwhelmed but most of his teammates and coaches don’t have the same level of experience as the Rams. 

With a lead, L.A. will be able to pin its ears and go after Burrow. We saw the Titans get Burrow nine times, the Chiefs pressured him plenty and Maxx Crosby was a problem in the first playoff game. It’s simply a bad matchup, and I think the Rams take advantage en route to a fairly easy victory in the Super Bowl. 

The pick: Rams 27, Bengals 9

Props:
Ja’Marr Chase over rush yards 4.5
— The Bengals will want to use some jet-sweep action to disrupt the pass rush and get the ball into their playmaker’s hands. 

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Cam Akers under 63.5 rush yards — Henderson is back, which means we should see a more sizable distribution of the touches. Akers’ two fumbles caused McVay to give Sony Michell more work.

Van Jefferson over 2.5 receptions / Kendall Blanton anytime TD — Pure “no Tyler Higbee” plays.

Odell Beckham over 5.5 catchesCooper Kupp is the focal point of the Rams’ offense, obviously, but I think they might target OBJ early knowing the Bengals could be doubling Kupp.

Joe Burrow under 36.5 pass attempts — A low-scoring game with tons of runs from both teams should lead to fewer Burrow dropbacks, even if the game script is potentially concerning.  

Matthew Stafford/Von Miller MVP: I think Stafford takes this down if the Rams win in convincing fashion and score more than 25 points. But Miller is worth a sprinkle as a longer shot. He’s won it before, the pass rush is going to be key and he’s the most likely guy to cause a game-flipping fumble when he gets in the pocket. 

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Best bets: Rams -4, first half under



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Stats Show How Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray Dominated Game 3 Of Finals

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(Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)

 

The Denver Nuggets were able to score a definitive and important win over the Miami Heat in Game 3 of the NBA Finals.

They are now just two victories away from their first championship victory.

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While the Nuggets have multiple strong players, there is no doubt that the pairing of Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic is the most important.

In Game 3, they scored 66 points, 31 rebounds, and 20 assists.

According to StatMuse, via Bleacher Report, that is better than all the starters of the Heat, who collectively produced 66 points, 25 rebounds, and 12 assists.

Murray and Jokic have played very well together throughout the entire season.

This has been key to them reaching the Finals for the first time.

Although Jokic has been a stellar player for the last few years, his team has always fallen short.

Murray sat out of last season completely with an injury, forcing Jokic to try to carry the Nuggets by himself.

It was clear that Denver needed Murray back to really compete at a high level.

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Now that Murray and Jokic are playing together again, they are better than ever.

Of course, there are other impressive stars on the roster – such as Aaron Gordon, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Bruce Brown, and others.

But Murray and Jokic are setting the pace and getting the most done.

And the Heat are having a hard time limiting this pair, as made evident by their Game 3 output.

Murray and Jokic have a lot of momentum heading into Game 4.

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If they are able to score numbers like this again, the Heat will be in a world of trouble.

The post Stats Show How Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray Dominated Game 3 Of Finals appeared first on The Cold Wire.





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Blue Jays designate Anthony Bass for assignment, activate Mitch White

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The Toronto Blue Jays designated right-handed reliever Anthony Bass for assignment on Friday.

Right-hander Mitch White was activated from the 60-day injured list in a corresponding move.

Bass and the Blue Jays have been facing criticism after the 35-year-old shared a video supporting anti-2SLGBTQ+ boycotts of Target and Bud Light nearly two weeks ago.

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More to come.

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Shannon Sharpe Makes His Game 4 Prediction for Nuggets, Heat

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(Photo by Cindy Ord/Getty Images for SiriusXM)

 

Without a victory in Game 4 of the Finals, the Miami Heat‘s chances of winning a championship will greatly diminish.

After their Game 3 loss, fans are treating Friday night’s game as the most consequential of the series.

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Loyal Heat followers think they will pull off a win but Shannon Sharpe doesn’t believe so.

He is predicting that the Denver Nuggets will be victorious in Game 4.

“The Nuggets are the better team and eventually the better team in a series will win,” Sharpe said on Friday’s Undisputed.

Sharpe pointed to the incredible output of both Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic as the biggest reason why the Nuggets will walk away with the big win.

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He said that the Heat don’t have answers for both of those players.

He also said that if both Murray and Jokic do what they’ve been doing, the Nuggets only need about 30 points from a few other players to cruise to a win.

Sharpe noted that Bam Adebayo of the Heat is doing all he can to slow or stop Jokic but he needs help with that task.

That stretches the Heat thin.

That, compared with some of the troubles that Jimmy Butler has been having, is making life very hard for Miami.

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The Heat are looking to score a very important home victory with Friday’s game.

If they are able to do that, they will even the series before it heads back to Denver.

If they lose, many people will predict that the Finals are pretty much over.

Murray and Jokic will try to make some noise in Game 4 – and the Heat will try to silence them.

The post Shannon Sharpe Makes His Game 4 Prediction for Nuggets, Heat appeared first on The Cold Wire.

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