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USA Today

Not many people are complaining about this year's Super Bowl. Sure, there's no Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers or Patrick Mahomes, but there is a bona fide Cinderella in the Bengals and a Rams team that is trying to become the second team to win a Super Bowl on its home turf. Fans can also look forward to watching the Comeback Player of the Year in Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, Offensive Rookie of the Year in Bengals wideout Ja'Marr Chase, and three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year in Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald. 

Both teams are certainly deserving, but that doesn't change the fact that the teams have combined to have the worst winning percentage (.647) of any matchup in the 56-year history of the Super Bowl. The Bengals and Rams went a combined 22-12 during the regular season while earning the four seeds in their respective conferences. Cincinnati went 10-7 during the regular season, while the Rams finished the regular season with a 12-5 record. The Bengals joined the 1979 Rams, 2008 Cardinals and 2011 Giants as the only teams with seven losses to reach the big game. 

The Super Bowl LVI matchup this year finished just ahead of the following three matchups as the "worst" matchup in Super Bowl history as far as regular season records are concerned (combined winning percentage noted after the score). 

  • Super Bowl XLIII (2008):  Steelers 27, Cardinals 23 (.656)   
  • Super Bowl XIV (1979):  Steelers 31, Rams 19 (.656)    
  • Super Bowl XLVII (2012):  Ravens 34,  49ers 31 (.672)

Including this year's Super Bowl, each of those matchups were between teams that play in either the AFC North/Central division and the NFC West division. The Steelers, who boasted a 12-4 regular season record during the 1979 and 2008 seasons, defeated teams that went 9-7 during the regular season. The Ravens, a 10-6 outfit during the 2012 regular season, defeated a San Francisco team that went 11-4-1 during the regular season. 

If the Super Bowls mentioned above are any indication of how Sunday's game will play out, fans are in for a competitive game. Super Bowls XLIII and XVLII were not decided until the final seconds. The Rams held a 19-17 fourth quarter lead in Super Bowl XIV before two deep passes from Terry Bradshaw to John Stallworth turned the game in the Steelers' favor.