ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — The Super Bowl that Buffalo Bills fans wanted didn’t materialize for a variety of reasons.
Some among that disappointed and disgruntled group put the final 13 seconds of regulation in the Bills’ divisional-round loss at Kansas City at the top of the list.
Not me.
I’ll acknowledge that enough went wrong in that span to allow the Bills to find a way to lose a game they seemingly were in decent position to win before the Chiefs forced overtime.
However, topping my list of reasons for the Bills’ far earlier than expected playoff exit was the horrific showing of their defense – well beyond the highly questionable scheming that left the middle of the field wide open. From start to finish, that side of the ball never showed up.
As poorly as Buffalo’s defense played against the Chiefs – making a mockery of league rankings that had the Bills in first place in total and scoring defense, as well as four other key categories – I saw no reason to feel that beating the Cincinnati Bengals the following week in the AFC Championship Game was a lock, despite the fact it would have been played at Highmark Stadium.
That takes me to my prediction for Super Bowl LVI.
Predictably, much of the discussion and hype for the past two weeks has focused on the quarterbacks.
The Los Angeles Rams’ Matthew Stafford and the Bengals’ Joe Burrow provide wonderful storylines.
The first year after the trade that got him out of Detroit, where he had little to show for fantastic individual stats, Stafford finds himself playing for the Lombardi Trophy. One season after having his rookie year cut short by a knee injury, Burrow is getting the chance to show off his remarkable passing skills on the biggest stage of them all.
Of course, each will factor significantly in the game’s outcome.
Yet, it will be the respective defenses that will have the largest say.
Neither of the Super Bowl teams’ defenses reached the statistical heights the Buffalo’s D did, but both have managed to do what the Bills couldn’t: Play their best when it counted.
That was particularly true in the AFC title game, as the Bengals managed to make the Chiefs’ offense look a whole lot less explosive than it did a week earlier.
Nevertheless, I think the defense that’s going to make the largest difference Sunday belongs to the Rams, whose front is stacked with immensely talented players who excel at getting to the quarterback and whose back end has the ability to make QBs hold the ball long enough to allow pass rushers to get home.
As impressive as Burrow has performed, it’s impossible to ignore how often he has served as a human piñata behind an offensive line that provides minimal protection. During the regular season, he was sacked an NFL-high 51 times. In three games during this postseason, he has been sacked an additional 12 times, including nine during an AFC divisional round win at Tennessee.
On Sunday, Burrow will be facing one of the best and most talented defensive fronts in the league.
During an interview with Bengals.com, former Cincinnati quarterback Carson Palmer called Burrow’s sack total “demoralizing.”
“That takes an emotional toll on everybody ... but you never felt that way watching him play,” Palmer said. “He was cool. He was calm. The offensive line believed in him. They knew the defense would get a stop. There’s a great belief and great energy in that magic.
“Just enough to get this team past all those All-Pros and All-Stars, I hope.”
I’m equally impressed with Burrow and expect him to be a force for many seasons. I just don’t see him being able to display enough of that magic to put the Bengals over the top on Sunday.
My pick: Rams, 27-20.