Super Bowl 56 Betting Recap – Los Angeles Rams vs. Cincinnati Bengals

Michael Crosson Sports Betting Expert

10 minute read

Betting results, bad beats, postgame analysis, and other information following Super Bowl 56 between the Cincinnati Bengals and Los Angeles Rams from SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.

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VEGAS BOOKS WIN SUPER BOWL 56

Per Micah Roberts

Most Las Vegas sportsbooks had their best Super Bowl ever as the bookmaker’s dream came into effect with the favorite winning but not covering. The Rams, favored by 4.5, won 23-20 knocking out all the popular underdog Bengals money-line action.

The most famous money-line bettor Mattress Mack had $9.5 million bet on the Bengals at +170 after driving twice from his Houston residence to the border in Louisiana to bet with Caesars sportsbook.

Caesars used the bet to drop to Rams -3.5 for a day and it worked out well according to VP of Trading Craig Mucklow.

“The Mack bet and the aggressive move to -3.5 (helped),” Mucklow said. “We doubled our handle on that day alone. It was a hell of a sweat.”

I thought Caesars played the game very well from a booking perspective. They saw there was Rams money and eventually closed at -4.5, and also ironically at +170 on the Bengals money-line, the same price that Mattress Mack took. Caesars booked as though they didn’t care about Mack’s $9.5 million in bets. Bold move. It worked.

MATTRESS MACK TAKES IT ON THE CHIN -- AGAIN!!!

BetMGM’s Jeff Stoneback also said the bookmaker’s dream was their best scenario.

So did Station Casinos VP Jason McCormick who couldn’t quite tell yet if it was their best Super Bowl ever.

“It’s going to be close,“ said McCormick. “We’ll see how these props shake out.”

Cooper Cupp two TDs, Odell Beckham 1 TD, and Matt Stafford 3 TD passes. And the Rams had a bunch of sacks as many predicted.

The South Point also did well with the bookmaker’s dream with director Chris Andrews saying they had a “very good” day.

Las Vegas SuperBook VP Jay Kornegay didn’t have the same Super Bowl experience as his counterparts. Bookmaker’s dream, good right?

“You would think, but it isn’t that simple,” he said.

The SuperBook’s world-famous props had just begun getting graded so Kornegay didn’t know the full extent of the day, but the favorite winning but not covering wasn’t their best scenario as it was for most.

“We had a lot of Bengals money +4, +4.5 and a lot of Rams money-line (-200) and a lot of Rams money-line late,” Kornegay said. “Rams winning by 1-3 wasn’t good. We also took a hit on Rams futures. But the under saved us.”

Marc Nelson said his Atlantis-Reno sportsbook needed the under (48.5) as their best decision.

When the game ended, I said “no, I feel unsatisfied”. I also bet the Rams to cover. It was a good close game, but maybe not so Super. And the non-flags, and then a bunch of flags. The refs had to have their say.

Cheers to all, let’s have a great 2022!

SUPER BOWL 56 BETTING RESULTS

Listed below are the results for Super Bowl 56 between the Rams and Bengals for the three most popular betting markets in the NFL.

MONEYLINE - LOS ANGELES RAMS (-190)

The Los Angeles Rams are now the second straight Super Bowl winner to hoist the Lombardi Trophy on their respective home turf, as Sean McVay’s squad came from behind to knock off the Bengals with a score of 23-20 at SoFi Stadium on Sunday evening – while last year’s trophy went to Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Super Bowl 55 at Raymond James Stadium. Super Bowl 56 was an exciting back-and-forth affair, with both squads appearing to own a slight edge at different stages throughout the game. So one could still argue that Cincinnati ML was the best value play in this matchup – but ultimately, Rams ML bettors came out on top.

SPREAD - CINCINNATI BENGALS +4 (-110)

The Bengals couldn’t quite hold on for the SU victory, as Cincinnati entered the fourth quarter of Super Bowl 56 boasting a four-point lead over Matthew Stafford and company – and while it wasn’t enough cushion to protect their lead, they still managed to cover the spread by keeping the deficit to just a field goal. There’s no moral victories when it comes to the Super Bowl, but Joe Burrow and the Bengals should return to Ohio with their heads held high knowing they cashed ATS tickets in Super Bowl 56 despite entering the year with roughly +15000 odds to take home the Lombardi Trophy.

TOTAL - UNDER 48.5 (-110)

Despite the Rams and Bengals’ prolific offensive weaponry, the best bet among the three main betting categories in Super Bowl 56 was the under, as Bengals ATS bettors and Rams ML bettors both sweat out narrow victories – while the under was seemingly never in doubt, considering these teams went to halftime at a score of 13-10, which they followed up with a second-half tally of 10-10 – falling comfortably short of the number with a final total of 43 PTS.

SUPER BOWL 56 PLAYER PROPS

Listed below are the results for the most wagered Super Bowl 56 prop winners. 

ODELL BECKHAM, JR. FIRST TD (+850)

It took a little while to get the ball rolling, but the Rams kicked off the scoring in Super Bowl 56 with 6:22 left in the first quarter, as Stafford dropped back on third-and-three and delivered a 17-yard strike to WR Odell Beckham Jr. for the first points of the game – cashing tickets at solid +850 odds.

COOPER KUPP SUPER BOWL MVP (+650)

Cooper Kupp’s 2021-22 campaign was certainly one for the record books, as the fifth-year East Washington product took home the NFL’s Offensive Player of the Year Award by hauling in 145 REC for 1,947 YDS and 16 TD’s across 17 regular-season outings. Kupp’s brilliance didn’t end there though, considering he tallied 25 REC for 386 YDS and 4 TD’s across the Rams’ first three playoff matchups – and ultimately received Super Bowl MVP honors after corralling 8 REC for 92 YDS and 2 TD’s in Sunday’s big game, despite OBJ’s early exit.

CAM AKERS - UNDER 58.5 RUSHING YARDS (-110)

Despite coming from behind to win the game, L. A. couldn’t get anything going on the ground throughout Super Bowl 56, as the Rams rushed 23 times for just 43 YDS during their 23-20 victory over Cincinnati. Starting RB Cam Akers was no exception to those struggles, as the second-year Florida State product rushed 13 times for 21 YDS in Sunday’s contest – with roughly a third of those yards coming on an eight-yard scamper in the waning moments of the event.

L. A. RAMS – OVER 3.5 TOTAL SACKS (+100)

The Bengals adequately protected Burrow during their thrilling victory over Kansas City in the AFC Championship Game, as the Chiefs brought him down for just one sack in Cincinnati’s previous event. The Bengals’ o-line was a serious concern prior to that outing though, considering Burrow was sacked 32 times across eight matchups stretching from Week 13 through the Divisional Round – which inevitably caught up with them in Super Bowl 56, as the Rams sacked Burrow seven times on the way to a 23-20 victory.

JOE MIXON – OVER 3.5 RECEPTIONS (-110)

After playing a relatively insignificant role in Cincinnati’s passing game for most of the year (19.6 YPG, 2.6 REC), Mixon stepped up and served as Burrow’s primary safety valve following Week 16 of the regular season, as the fifth-year Oklahoma product averaged 43.2 YPG on 5.8 REC across his five outings directly leading up to the Super Bowl. Mixon couldn’t find space after the catch on Super Bowl Sunday though, as he still hauled in five passes – yet finished with just one receiving yard on the night. 

TEE HIGGINS – TO SCORE 2+ TD’S (+900)

The Bengals’ passing game was surprisingly mediocre in Super Bowl 56, as Burrow completed just 23-of-33 passes for 263 YDS and a TD on the way to Cincinnati’s lackluster 20-point offensive performance. WR Tee Higgins shouldn’t catch any of the blame though, as the second-year Clemson product hauled in four passes for 100 YDS and two TD’s against the Rams on Super Bowl Sunday – cashing tickets at juicy nine-to-one odds.

JA’MARR CHASE – OVER 79.5 RECEIVING YARDS (-110)

Despite drawing coverage from All-Pro CB Jalen Ramsey for the majority of Sunday’s event, Bengals’ WR Ja’Marr Chase still managed to string together a solid performance against the Rams in Super Bowl 56, as the reigning Offensive Rookie of the Year hauled in five passes for 89 YDS on the way to a 23-20 loss – which comfortably cleared his receiving yards over-under of 79.5 YDS.

NOVELTY PROPS

GATORADE BATH - BLUE (+400)

The betting favorite for this year’s Gatorade bath was orange (+200) for all the right reasons, as the orange was naturally deemed fitting for a Bengals’ Super Bowl victory, considering it’s the only traditional Gatorade color found within Cincinnati’s logo. Rams’ bettors eyeing a Gatorade bath according to team color found themselves in a bit of a predicament though, considering yellow (+350) and blue (+400) are both heavily featured in the Rams’ logo – sliding those colors right behind orange. Blue was ultimately the color of choice when the clock struck zero, primarily rewarding those who didn’t overthink this one.

BAD BEATS

JOE BURROW OVER 1.5 TD PASSES (-150)

With overwhelming forces such as Aaron Donald and Von Miller dominating the middle defensively for the Rams, most bettors assumed the Bengals would lean on their passing game in red-zone – which ultimately happened, as Cincinnati’s only two touchdowns came through the air. Unfortunately for Burrow bettors though, Joe Mixon threw one of those passes on a trick play at the goal line – leaving Burrow 2+ TD bettors hung out to dry at -150 odds.

ODELL BECKHAM, JR. OVER 64 RECEIVING YARDS (-110)

Beckham Jr. was seemingly primed for a big performance during the first half of Super Bowl 56, as the former LSU Tiger hauled in two passes for 52 YDS and a TD in the first half of Sunday’s matchup against Cincinnati. OBJ exited with an unfortunate knee injury with roughly four minutes left in the second though, leaving virtually all his player props on the table – despite finishing the first half on-pace for a 100-yard outing.

NFL PLAYOFF RESULTS

The victory by the Rams pushed favorites to an 8-5 straight up record in this year's NFL Playoffs but the cover for the Bengals allowed underdogs to go 9-4 against the spread. 

The point-spread doesn't normally factor in the Super Bowl but that was the case in this year's postseason and the finale. 

Including Super Bowl 56, there have only been seven instances where the favorite won the game straight up but failed to cover the number. 

Those outcomes occurred in 2021, 2009, 2005, 2004, 1996, 1989 and 1976.

2021 NFL PLAYOFFS BETTING RESULTS

• Favorites-Underdogs Straight Up (SU)
• Favorites-Underdogs Against the Spread (ATS)
• Over-Under Totals (OU)

Overall Betting Results

Where to place a bet this NFL Season?

• Use our exclusive BetMGM Bonus Code VIBONUS1500 to unlock BetMGM’s welcome offer for new sportsbook users!
• Compare the latest NFL Odds from the best sportsbooks before placing a bet on this week's games.
• Check out the North Carolina Sportsbooks just before they launch legal online sports betting.

Michael Crosson

Michael Crosson began his time at VegasInsider as a freelance NBA writer back in 2019 while he continued to study Psychology and Biology at James Madison University. Following his graduation in 2021, Michael joined the team full-time, and he's been with VI ever since. Michael still writes NBA, NFL, and MLB for VI, as well as gambling industry news. He's also become a crucial part of our editorial production team. More from Michael Crosson