Super Bowl LVI Preview: Ranking the Best Offensive Players

It’s the most bittersweet week of the year. Where the NFL’s premier game will commence, but the league’s season will also come to an end – Super Bowl Week. 

This year, we have an intriguing matchup between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Los Angeles Rams. Two of the more exciting teams in the league. 

Both of these teams have taken an unexpected path to the NFL’s marquee event, and will meet this Sunday at SoFi stadium in Inglewood, California.  

The game should display some explosive firepower, with the league’s most intriguing offensive players taking the field. Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow has developed a cult following, as he has coolly eliminated some of the league’s most influential stars, notably Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes last week.  

On the other side of the chalk, the Rams have quarterback Matthew Stafford and Odell Beckham Jr. who both deserve credit in their own right. 

This game will draw the attention of fans worldwide, and is expected to have some pop with an over/under of 48.5 points according to Bovada Las Vegas. The Rams are favored by four points, and the game will likely come down to the wire.

Today, we will reflect on the best offensive players to be featured in this game, and rank them one through five. My rankings reflect not only the player’s comprehensive work from the season, but also their impact on the game. 

Enjoy the read, and feel free to comment and review!

Honorable Mention: Bengals Wide Receiver Tee Higgins 

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Often overlooked, the second-year wide receiver out of Clemson has been a steady presence for Burrow as he has acclimated to the league. Over the last two seasons, Tee Higgins has been targeted 218 times and has hauled in 141 receptions. In this span, he has achieved 1,999 yards receiving and 12 touchdowns. Including a statline of 74 receptions, 1,091 yards and six touchdowns this season.

The 6’4” receiver has provided a steady complement to standout rookie Ja’Marr Chase, and is one of the “big three” receivers that “WhoDey Nation” clamor for. Higgins is coming off a 106-yard performance against the Chiefs and a 96-yard game against the Tennessee Titans. 

He has cemented his role as a big play receiver, and someone to keep an eye out for in the Big Game. In addition to all of this, he is PFF’s ninth-rated receiver, out of 108, with an offensive grade of 83.5. 

5. Bengals Running Back Joe Mixon 

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Often a target of ire from the fantasy football community, running back Joe Mixon finally delivered on his promise of being an elite back. The former Oklahoma product exploded for 1,205 yards rushing, and chipped in 16 total TDs, including 13 rushing.

A true workhorse, Mixon touched the ball 334 times and generated 1,519 total yards. He has been elected to his first Pro Bowl season, but will obviously miss the game due to the championship match-up. 

Expect the running back to touch the ball early and often against the Rams this weekend. However, he may be used as more of a pass-catching option considering the Rams’ vaunted defensive front. 

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4. Rams Quarterback Matthew Stafford

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Matthew Stafford may be America’s sweetheart heading into Sunday’s game. A standout at Georgia, the former number one overall pick has seen success wherever he has gone – well, except for Detroit. 

Leaving the Motor City has provided a revival of Stafford’s career and has him as the likely Super Bowl winning quarterback heading into this weekend. Many fans across the nation are rooting for the quarterback to finally succeed after 12 years of mediocrity in Detroit. 

The Stafford-McVay union has proven to be fruitful, with the quarterback throwing for nearly 5000 yards and 41 touchdowns. He has spearheaded an attack that can score at any time, and will likely add to his touchdown total this Sunday.

If the Rams are to win this weekend, Stafford will need a big game to keep up with the Bengals–and he may have ample opportunity. Cincinnati’s defense is vulnerable, as they sport the 18th ranked defense in terms of yards and the 26th passing defense in the league.  

3. Bengals Wide Receiver Ja’Marr Chase 

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Ja’Marr Chase was projected to be a difference maker as a rookie, and he did just that. The number five overall pick out of LSU has lit the NFL on fire. The first-year pro was first-team All-Conference, Second-Team All Pro and a Pro Bowl selection this season.

The debate on whether Chase or offensive tackle Penei Sewell should have been selected by Cincinnati is all but extinguished, and Burrow’s college running mate has paid dividends.

Chase was targeted 128 times this season, and hauled in 84 of them, compiling 1,455 yards this season and 13 touchdowns. His yardage total is the most ever for a Bengals receiver, eclipsing Chad Johnson’s previous record of 1,440 yards.

In addition, Chase has provided several monstrous games this season, including two incidences where he broke 200 yards receiving. His week 17 performance of 11 catches for 266 yards to beat the Chiefs was truly something to behold. 

Chase is a star and you’ll see it on Sunday. 

2. Bengals Quarterback Joe Burrow 

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The “Tiger King”, Joe Burrow, is truly the catalyst that has turned around the fortune of the Bengals. Prior to his arrival in 2019, the team was 2-14 and had the team’s 30th ranked offense.

Then, college football’s most prolific passer was selected with the number one overall pick and the trajectory for Cincinnati changed.

After an ACL injury ended Burrow’s rookie season, the sophomore quarterback was looking to rebound this season, and he did. The former LSU product threw for 4,611 yards and 34 touchdowns. He elevated the Bengals offense to the seventh-ranked passing attack, and seventh-best overall offense this season.

What is probably most impressive, is his calm demeanor and fortitude during trivial moments. During this playoff run, Burrow has led his team to upset victories against the no.1 seed Tennessee Titans and no.2 Kansas City Chiefs.

He enters the Super Bowl as the underdog again. Can he pull off one more upset?

1. Rams Wide Receiver Cooper Kupp

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While this may surprise some, you must give Cooper Kupp his due. In a league where quarterbacks continuously get all the fanfare, Kupp quietly ran away with one of the hardest awards to win in the NFL – the receiving Triple Crown.

Kupp led the NFL in receiving yards, receptions and touchdowns this season. That may not impress you initially, but when you say aloud that he caught the ball 145 times, for 1947 yards and 16 touchdowns, that should have you taken aback. 

Week after week, Kupp has been schemed against, and defenses know that the ball will be directed his way. Yet, the opposition can’t stop him. He averages 114.5 yards per game, and a respectable 10.2 yards per target. 

Kupp is as reliable as you can get as a receiver, and his route-running prowess is unmatched. The first-team All-Pro has had a remarkable season, and has come a long way from his humble Eastern Washington University roots. 

While Burrow and Stafford will constantly be highlighted this Sunday, and moving forward, Kupp is the best player to stand on the field this weekend.