Rams' Sean McVay Downplays Super Bowl Rematch Narrative vs. Bengals
Every NFL game is greatly important, but Monday night's matchup between the Los Angeles Rams and Cincinnati Bengals holds a bit more significance than usual.
In February 2022, these two teams met in Super Bowl 56 with the Rams pulling out a 23-20 win for their second Lombardi Trophy in franchise history. Aside from a preseason matchup last year, Monday night's game will mark the first time the Rams and Bengals have squared off since the Super Bowl.
Appropriately, the Super Bowl rematch narrative has dominated national headlines. However, Rams coach Sean McVay isn't paying much attention to that narrative. Instead, he's more focused on the Bengals' continuity from that same game.
“You don’t talk about that much," McVay told reporters Saturday. "What you do talk about is that there is continuity and consistency with some of their coaches that are coordinators or obviously (Bengals Head Coach) Zac (Taylor) was still the head coach, and they still have some players that were a part of that. They still have a lot of players that were a part of that Super Bowl appearance in ‘21. So that's as far as it gets."
Feb 13, 2022; Inglewood, CA, USA; Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay hoists the Lombardi Trophy after defeating the Cincinnati Bengals in Super Bowl LVI at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
McVay also recognizes that a road game in Cincinnati will be a great challenge. The Bengals may be off to an underwhelming 0-2 start, but they are largely the same team that made the Super Bowl a year and a half ago, unlike the Rams who have undergone massive roster changes in that time. Combined with a raucous home crowd, and a win on Monday won't come easy for L.A.
"You know Cincinnati's going to be rocking," McVay said. "It's a great atmosphere. They're a great football team. It's way too early to get caught up into records and things of that nature. We know how talented they are. We know how well coached they are and so we're looking forward to the challenge.”
Aside from the Super Bowl rematch angle, the main storyline ahead of this game is the health of Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow. Burrow, who recently signed an extension to become the highest-paid player in league history, re-aggravated a prior calf injury during Sunday's loss to the Baltimore Ravens, leaving his status against the Rams in doubt. While there is uncertainty on whether or not he'll play, McVay and the Rams are preparing for him to take the field.
We’ve prepared for that like I mentioned earlier in the week," McVay said. "Whether it's Joe or whether it's (Bengals quarterback Jake) Browning it's going to be a really great challenge for us. That's our expectation and we'll go with that until I hear otherwise.”
The Super Bowl rematch will kick off at 8:15 p.m. ET on Monday night at Paycor Stadium.
