The Los Angeles Rams defeated the Cincinnati Bengals 23-20 in the Super Bowl on Sunday, February 13. This Rams win came only three years after losing to the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LIII. 

This year’s Super Bowl featured two very popular quarterbacks. Cincinnati’s quarterback Joe Burrow is only in his second NFL season, and is coming off a year where injuries destroyed the second half of a very promising first season. Los Angeles’ quarterback Matthew Stafford on the other hand, has been the product of an extremely dysfunctional system in Detroit where years of poor management and abysmal surrounding talent held Stafford to nothing more than three playoff appearances.

Both quarterbacks had very good nights on Sunday, throwing for over 250 yards each along with three touchdowns from Stafford and one from Burrow. 

Following the Super Bowl, both teams have very promising futures. The Rams have a very well rounded operation with units such as their receiving core being loaded with star power that are locked into long term contracts. Stafford’s longevity could turn out to be the largest problem that the Rams face, and he could still have a good five years of play left in him. 

The Bengals have a very promising upstart in Burrow with a Super Bowl already under his belt, but a long term contract might be difficult to secure as quarterback markets rise in free agency. With Patrick Mahomes recently securing a 10 year contract worth $50 million a year, financing yet another 20 year old Super Bowl winner will turn out to be an uphill battle after choosing to spend $48 million on running back Joe Mixon.

The next NFL season is scheduled for September 8, 2022.