Five seasons ago, the Los Angeles Rams hoisted the Lombardi Trophy on their home turf against the Cincinnati Bengals. With the Super Bowl returning to SoFi Stadium in February, Rams-Bengals for the NFL crown is the rematch we need this season.
It’s not hard to imagine Los Angeles back in the big game, especially given their offseason, yet Cincy is much tougher to fathom. For starters, the Bengals have missed the playoffs three straight years after back-to-back AFC Championship appearances in 2021-22.
They’ve been the definition of mediocrity, going 24-27 in that span, bottoming out at 6-11 in 2025.
Former Rams assistant Zac Taylor has been on the hot seat for an eternity, it seems. The Bengals have an annoyingly patient front office, so Taylor coming close to winning a championship years ago has likely bought himself a lifetime appointment in Cincinnati. Joking aside, it’s truly a miracle that he’s the longest-tenured head coach in the AFC North, and tied for the fifth-longest in the league with the Packers’ Matt LaFleur.
Much of the reason Cincy has missed the playoffs these last three seasons is their woeful defense. And woeful is putting it extremely kindly. The team finished dead last in most statistical categories in ‘25, and was especially a problem during Joe Burrow’s MVP-like campaign in 2024. This tweet pretty much sums up their defensive woes:
Why should anyone be pining for a Rams-Bengals rematch? Burrow is the answer. When healthy — and that’s sadly a big ask anymore — he’s one of the best and most exciting quarterbacks in the league. He’s suffered through three injury-riddled seasons, including last year. The first two times, he won NFL Comeback Player of the Year, with the first en route to the Bengals’ Super Bowl berth.
Plus, Burrow is just two seasons removed from the aforementioned MVP-like campaign. If Cincinnati fielded an average defense that season, he would’ve won the hardware handily, as MVP voters love eye-popping quarterback stats.
The Bengals have also made plenty of investments on the defensive side of the ball this offseason. Cincy signed defensive end Boye Mafe, safeties Bryan Cook and Kyle Dugger, and defensive tackle Jonathan Allen in free agency, and traded for All-Pro Dexter Lawrence ahead of the NFL draft. On paper, the unit should be much improved, but given how terrible they’ve been lately, there’s a low bar for them to clear.
Regardless of what the Bengals have done on the field in the last three seasons, they should not be slept on. The Athletic named them among the NFL’s underrated teams ahead of the 2026 season and praised the offseason overhaul that left them with “better depth.” FanDuel Sportsbook has Cincinnati at +2000 odds to win the Super Bowl and -198 odds to make the playoffs, eighth-best in the AFC.
The Bengals came out of nowhere five years ago to make a surprise Super Bowl run against a powerhouse Rams squad. Fast-forward to now, and they have the chance to do the same against another elite L.A. team in the same stadium, this time with the Rams having former Cincy foe Myles Garrett in tow.
A Super Bowl rematch is inevitable, as six such games have taken place since 2016, including Rams-Patriots in 2018. So, why not Rams-Bengals Part II? Aaron Donald might just make an appearance in the sequel as well, which is undoubtedly music to Burrow’s ears.
Rams-Bengals was one of the most thrilling Super Bowls of the last decade, and the big game returns to Hollywood right as sequels continue drawing people in. Super Bowl rematches are typically hit or miss, yet this one could potentially break the box office this February if it were to happen.
