Super Bowl points spread
*Predicted winners are in bold Predictions Regular Season Record: 165-106-1 Predictions Playoffs Record: 10-2
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1. Andrew Whitworth
Super Bowl LVI will be the second consecutive Super Bowl in which a 40-year-old is starting and playing at an elite level. Whitworth might not have the star power of Tom Brady, but he's the best offensive lineman playing in this game despite his age. Whitworth was a top-five tackle this season. He had the 4th best PA% among tackles and was third in pass block win-rate. Whitworth is able to still play at a high level because he still plays with superb technique at his age. He rarely makes mistakes. 2. Rob Havenstein Havenstein is the second-best o-lineman in this game. He and Whitworth form one of the best tackle duos in the league. Havenstein had a terrific year in his own right. He uses his 6'8 330 pound frame to be a force in both phases of the game. He was top 10 in PA% and top five in pass-block win rate among tackles. He was an even better run-blocker this year as he was the best run-blocker on the Rams o-line. 3. Quinton Spain Spain is the Bengals best player upfront. He was the most consistent pass-blocker on a unit that struggled as a whole in that aspect. He finished 18th among guards in PA% at 3.76%. He was also very good in the run game as he especially thrived on zone run plays. The film shows numerous plays in which he made great reach blocks or simply moved people around in the run game. 4. Jonah Williams Williams is the Benalgs most talented offensive lineman but he's a close second to Spain in terms of consistency and on-the-field play. Williams was much better in the first half of the season compared to the second. He only allowed 14 pressures and three sacks in his first eight starts and looked like he'd be in the mix for a pro-bowl spot on the AFC roster. However, he allowed 26 pressures and five sacks in his last eight starts. The Bengals will need the guy who played in the first half if they hope to slow down Von Miller and Leonard Floyd. 5. Brian Allen Allen had his struggles in pass pro, but run-blocking is more important for centers and Allen was one of the better run-blocking centers in the NFL in 2021, especially thriving on zone run plays. His prowess as a run-blocker is the primary reason he lands at number five on this list. Look for the Bengals to try and expose him in pass-pro scenarios as he allowed five sacks and was 24th among centers in PA%. 6. Austin Corbett Corbett comes in at number six and he's the Rams best guard slightly. He was middle of the pack with a PA% of 5.04% and only allowed three sacks. He was also solid in the run game this season and while he's fine on zone plays, he was superior to his interior teammates on gap runs. 7. David Edwards Edwards has overachieved from his draft position as a fifth-rounder in 2019 to become a legitimate starting guard in the NFL. He has his flaws and can get overwhelmed by more talented players at times but his numbers on the year are right on par with Corbett as his PA% was 5.19%. However he gave up twice as many sacks and Corbett was a little better in the run-game. 8. Trey Hopkins This is the portion of the list where there is a significant drop-off in performance from the top-7. Hopkins was slightly better in PA% than Allen finishing one spot ahead of him in PA% but he didn't provide nearly the same impact in the run-game. The Rams should try and put him in situations where he has to block one-on-one and not spend the majority of the game helping double team Donald. 9. Isaiah Prince - In fairness to Prince, he was a sixth-rounder in 2019 and a backup tackle so he's not supposed to be in a position where he's starting in a Super Bowl and responsible for helping negate the most talented pass rush in the NFL. However, Riley Reiff was lost for the season in December so he's the guy at RT. He got abused by Maxx Crosby in the wildcard round and struggled in the AFC title game vs. the Chiefs. If the Bengals cannot stay on schedule and get forced into a lot of third and long situations, I don't trust Prince to hold up vs. the Rams edge rushers one-on-one. 10. Hakeem Adeniji Adeniji is another guy who should be a backup in this game but injuries forced him into action this season. He's played more than Prince has due to injuries to Xavier Su’A-Filo and Jackson Carman (also inconsistent play from Carman). It's a chance that we can see both Carman and Adenjiji take snaps at RG but regardless of which one of them is out there, the RG of the Bengals will be the worst offensive lineman on the field in this game. |
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