The Los Angeles Rams are Super Bowl Champions.
Let that sink in California football fans.
Quarterback Matthew Stafford led a late touchdown drive to lift the Rams past the upstart Cincinnati Bengals, 23-20, at SoFi Stadium Sunday night, giving the franchise its second Vince Lombardi Trophy.
Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp was named the Most Valuable Player after catching a pair of touchdown passes.
No team has won back-to-back Super Bowl titles since the New England Patriots took Super Bowl XXXVIII and XXIX.
Super Bowl LVII is currently scheduled for Feb. 12, 2023, in Arizona.
By then, California sports betting could be a reality if any initiatives make it to the voting ballot in November of this year. If not this year, CA will have to wait until 2024 to see any potential movement on the issue as tribes already launched a campaign against the California sports betting initiative.
What do the oddsmakers say?
Multiple sportsbooks already have posted odds on the favorites to win Super Bowl LVII. Over at FanDuel Sportsbook, the Rams are the third team on the board listed as +1200.
The Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills are co-favorites at +600.
Over at DraftKings Sportsbook, the board looks about the same. The Chiefs and Bills are the favorites at +750, with the Rams at +1000. DraftKings has the Cowboys as the Rams’ top competitor in the NFC at +1400.
Caesars has the Chiefs as the sole favorite at +650, followed by the Bills at +750 and the Rams again at +1000.
What about the other California teams?
Don’t forget the Rams share SoFi Stadium with the Chargers, whose quarterback, Justin Herbert, is an emerging star. The Chargers are listed at +2400 to win the Super Bowl at FanDuel and +2500 at DraftKings.
The Rams’ biggest challenge may come from their NFC West Division rivals, the San Francisco 49ers. The 49ers are +1500 on the board at FanDuel.
Who will face the Rams in the 2022 NFL season opener?
To the victor goes the spoils. As the defending Super Bowl champions, it means the Rams will host the NFL season opener on Thursday of the first week. The NFL usually likes to make it a marquee showdown or feature a big rematch from the previous season.
There are three strong possibilities for the NFL to choose for the Rams to open the 2022 season.
#1: Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys always bring a lot of viewers and will be a major storyline in the off-season as it tries to recover from a playoff collapse at the hands of the 49ers. The Cowboys have stars in quarterback Dak Prescott, running back Ezekiel Elliott, wide receiver CeeDee Lamb, and NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Micah Parsons.
#2: San Francisco 49ers
Yes, a rematch of the NFC Championship Game is another possibility. These two teams have always been big rivals. The question on the 49ers side is, what will happen with quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo? Will heralded quarterback prospect Trey Lance take over?
#3: Buffalo Bills
This matchup jumps right off the page though and is probably the pick. The Bills are one of the favorites to win the Super Bowl in 2023 and feature superstar quarterback Josh Allen.
Who will the Rams face in 2022?
The Rams are slated to have nine home games at SoFi Stadium next year and eight on the road.
Home
- Seattle Seahawks
- San Francisco 49ers
- Arizona Cardinals
- Carolina Panthers
- Atlanta Falcons
- Dallas Cowboys
- Las Vegas Raiders
- Denver Broncos
- Buffalo Bills
Away
- Seattle Seahawks
- San Francisco 49ers
- Arizona Cardinals
- New Orleans Saints
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Green Bay Packers
- Kansas City Chiefs
- Los Angeles Chargers
Questions for the off-season
The NFL Draft will take place Apr. 28-30 in Las Vegas. The Rams have made a lot of trades and don’t have a first or second-round pick in the NFL Draft. They have some holes to fill.
Most notably, they may have to shore up the offensive line with the expected retirement of stalwart Andrew Whitworth. The status of wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. is unknown after he appeared to suffer a knee injury in the second quarter of Super Bowl LVI.
Rams run: last five seasons
The Los Angeles Rams have become one of the dominant teams in the NFL with a remarkable five-year run under coach Sean McVay.
2021: Won Super Bowl LVI.
2020: Reached playoffs, losing in Divisional Round to Green Bay Packers.
2019: Finished 9-7, failed to make playoffs.
2018: Reacher Super Bowl, losing to New England Patriots 13-3.
2017: Finished 11-5 making playoffs for the first time since 2004.
