Superbowl LVI Preview : Part II
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By a large cast
- The halftime show features Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar and Mary J. Blige. On a scale of 1-10, how much does this interest you?
HG: 10. They’re all great artists so it will be interesting to see how many solo songs versus supergroup songs they perform. The standard medley format is forthcoming I’d imagine.
SM: Can I say 13? I’ll be watching, and hoping for a couple of stray m*th*rf***ing f-bombs to blow up social media and trigger white Christian conservative America.
SG: Like, a solid 7. Dre and Snoop are gonna have some fun, Mary J Blige is legit, Eminem is the GOAT, and Kendrick is cool.
RN: 9. But I’m only deducting a point out of fear that they’ve ignored the mantra of “less is more.” I just sense that I’m going to be spitting along to Forgot About Dre, when interrupted halfway through by a move to the next track on the set list.
JP: 10. This is the first halftime show in memory that I am actually going to intentionally pay attention to. Partly because of the lineup, and partly because I missed the J-Lo/Shakira half time show in real time and I am still kicking myself for that.
- Which player will be the star of the show?
HG: It’s always a quarterback – they are seen as the game winner. Stafford will have a fairytale game for someone who spent the last 12 years in Detroit making 3 playoff appearances but never winning one. He’s now won 3 in a row and this one should be the biggest. Burrow’s time will come, however this should be a step too far in his young career. This game could be similar to Superbowl L, where veteran Peyton Manning went out on a high, winning it versus another young upstart who made the playoffs early in his career in Cam Newton.
SM: Going from having Jared Goff throwing him balls to Stafford has been a boon for Rams receiver Cooper Kupp, who led the league in catches, receiving yards, and touchdowns – the Triple Crown – and will get some league MVP votes. I expect he’ll show why on the biggest stage.
SG: I know that Matt Stafford is going to stamp his authority on this game. You think about all that shit that got put on him at the Lions, but he’s a big-game player. I honestly believe that. But maybe to a lesser extent, it’s a coach rather than a player that will star. Sean McVay – can we talk about how jacked he is? He’s got his team firing and got a team that can win it. They went all in this year, so will it pay off?
RN: I really want to get cute with this pick and say it’s OBJ (he loves the big stage) or Van Jefferson or Leonard Floyd. But I think it’s Cooper Kupp. He’s just been so outrageously good all season that it’s hard to see him not having another big game. Only twice this season has he been held under 90 yards, which is incredible, and both of those games came against the Cardinals. I’m picking he goes for 130 yards plus and at least one score. He’d have to have a monster day to win MVP (Maybe a rushing TD? Or perhaps a couple of bad Stafford picks?), but I think he’ll be the one making the memorable plays.
JP: Aaron Donald. It’s a chalky call, but he had fast entered the very short list of players that instantly come to mind as the best defensive players ever. He doesn’t look out of place amongst the pantheon level players like Lawrence Taylor, Reggie White, and Ray Lewis. He came close to getting his ring a few years ago, but this time he gets one notching 2+ sacks and causing general mayhem all day. It might not be enough to wrestle MVP out of Matt Stafford’s hands as the winning QB, but Donald will be the biggest difference maker on the day.
- Who wins and by how many?
HG: The total is 49.5 points. Take the under – there won’t be a lot of points. Rams 24-17.
SM: A Bengals win would be one of the great stories of NFL lore, and I think they will make it interesting with a couple of quick scores in the third quarter. But, Rams 34-24.
SG: I like the prospect of this as a neutral fan. I’m excited! By what the post-season has already thrown up at us, this is going to be a thriller. Rams 20-13.
RN: Maybe I’m underestimating the Bengals, but I genuinely believe the Rams match up so well that this turns into a bit of a stinker. Rams 37-10.
JP: I think Zach Taylor overthinks things and runs way too much on first down again, and the Rams D-Line eat Burrow for lunch. Rams 27-13.
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