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We've finally made it. Super Bowl LVI is here, after Championship Sunday saw the NFL's two remaining teams exorcise demons to advance. The Rams snapped a six-game losing streak to their rival 49ers to win the NFC Championship, advancing to Super Bowl Sunday for the second time in four seasons.The Bengals, meanwhile, who many predicted would be looking for a new coach before the end of 2021, upset the reigning AFC champion Chiefs to secure their first Super Bowl appearance in more than 30 years. 

The Rams, looking to become the second straight team to win a championship in their own stadium, exited their NFC title victory as four-point favorites for the big game. But is it safe to bet on L.A., which hasn't hoisted a Lombardi Trophy since Kurt Warner and the "Greatest Show on Turf" edged the Titans in 1999? Or are the upstart Bengals the better call, four years after another major underdog story -- that of the previously Lombardi-less Philadelphia Eagles -- ended in confetti?

Let's dive in:

What the Bengals have going for them

  • Joe Cool: A year after his promising rookie season ended prematurely due to a knee injury, Joe Burrow has oozed confidence as the Bengals quarterback. The 25-year-old isn't afraid to fire it into traffic, he's used to standing tall in the face of pocket pressure, and he's playing like the rest of the team -- loose and free of expectations. Burrow is one of several elite young QBs overtaking the AFC, and his penchant for the big play alone should have the Rams on edge.
  • Ja'Marr Chase: Having a dynamic duo at QB and wide receiver can go a long way. Just ask Patrick Mahomes and Tyreek Hill, or Tom Brady and Chris Godwin, or Aaron Rodgers and Davante Adams. Burrow and Chase have just as much chemistry and electricity as those pairings. The latter, much like fellow LSU product Justin Jefferson, is a touchdown waiting to happen. As long as Burrow has No. 1 running downfield, he's got a chance.
  • The underdog vibes: Don't laugh. This stuff matters. The coaches and players, despite what they may say, are well aware of the national narratives surrounding them. Coach Zac Taylor was on a beeline to a new job before this season. Burrow was coming off knee surgery. The Bengals hadn't won a playoff game since 1990. The pressure is on, obviously, now that they're in the Super Bowl, but in a sense, it's also completely off, considering no one expected them to be here.

What the Rams have going for them

  • A star-studded offense: The Bengals boast an underrated big-play contingent, with Burrow and Chase paired with Joe Mixon, Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd. But the Rams are just as, if not more, deep in terms of proven playmakers. Matthew Stafford has been equally as dangerous at QB, showing off his big arm on the big stage in his glitzy L.A. debut; and his supporting cast includes two of the game's most reliable route runners in Cooper Kupp -- an absolute target machine -- and Odell Beckham Jr.
  • Aaron Donald: More specifically, a ferocious defensive line, which could spell mighty trouble for Burrow and Co. considering what the Titans did to the Bengals' front in the divisional round of the playoffs. Donald is the monster at the heart of the line, but A'Shawn Robinson and Greg Gaines and Von Miller and Leonard Floyd help round out their stacked front seven. More often than not, games are won in the trenches, and L.A. has the firepower to dominate on the defensive side.
  • Super Bowl experience: No, it's not everything, just like the Bengals' underdog spirit doesn't guarantee a win. But it's not nothing, either. Sean McVay has been to this stage before, and his own oft-overlooked conservative tendencies got the best of him in the Rams' Super Bowl loss to the Patriots three years ago. He helped raise up Zac Taylor, the Bengals' coach, in L.A. If he can game plan to his own roster's strengths, there's no reason he shouldn't enter Super Bowl Sunday with confidence.

The prediction

The heart says Bengals. The head says Rams. It's not a stretch to say McVay and L.A. are untrustworthy. They barely survived the Buccaneers and 49ers in successive playoff wins, and while you could say the same thing about the Bengals, it's important to remember that L.A. was literally built to win it all. They've eschewed draft picks in favor of proven talent for years, pushing all their chips in for Super Bowl glory, and yet both Stafford and McVay have gone cold in some key spots this season. Still, as cool and fun-loving as the young Bengals are, and as entertaining as Burrow and Chase figure to make this game, the Rams are still more talented in some crucial areas. If Donald and the L.A. D-line show up, and Jalen Ramsey makes a play or two in coverage, McVay's offense should have ample opportunity to get out in front. It'll be close (and confirm the Bengals as legit players in the AFC), but the lean here is a Rams win, marking two straight years where an NFL team proves it can buy its way to a title.

Pick: Rams 29, Bengals 26