Rams open as 4-point favorite over Bengals in Super Bowl 56
Charlie Riedel / Associated Press
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow (9) runs from Kansas City Chiefs defensive end Chris Jones, left, during the second half of the AFC championship NFL football game, Sunday, Jan. 30, 2022, in Kansas City, Mo.
Sunday, Jan. 30, 2022 | 6:59 p.m.
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The Los Angeles Rams went from a significant underdog to even get to the Super Bowl to a decent-sized favorite to win the Super Bowl in less than an hour Sunday night.
The Rams posted as a 3.5- to 4-point favorite over the Cincinnati Bengals in Super Bowl 56 on Feb. 13 on their home field at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles. That was only after they erased a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit against the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship Game.
The Rams were as high as a 6.5-point underdog in-game against the 49ers before mounting their comeback. It was the second comeback of the day, as the Bengals rallied from an even bigger deficit — trailing the Kansas City Chiefs 21-10 at halftime — to pull off a 27-24 upset as 7-point underdogs in overtime.
Cincinnati has been a profitable team to back all year, as the victory marked a third straight cover to improve its against-the-spread record to 13-7, second-best in the NFL. The Rams failed to cover the closing -3.5 price against the 49ers to drop to 10-10 against the spread going into the final game of the season.
The Rams have never covered in the Super Bowl despite winning in one of their four appearances, a 23-16 victory over the Titans in 2000. The Bengals have lost in both Super Bowl berths in franchise history, in 1982 and 1989, but covered +7 against the 49ers in a 20-16 loss in the latter.
The over/under total for Super Bowl 56 is currently anywhere from 49.5 to 50.5 points, depending on the sports book. Los Angeles is -185 (risking $1 to win $1.85) to win outright on the moneyline with Cincinnati coming back at +165 (risking $1 to win $1.65) at Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook.
The prices are in the same range at other sports books, implying around a 64% chance the Rams win the Super Bowl — quite the reverse from when they were struggling with the 49ers to even reach the game.
Case Keefer can be reached at 702-948-2790 or [email protected]. Follow Case on Twitter at twitter.com/casekeefer.Case Keefer can be reached at 702-948-2790 or