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Bright Eyes may have just released their album Down In The Weeds, Where The World Once Was in 2020, but the group is now gearing up for an even more ambitious project. After moving their extensive catalog over to Secretly Group last year, Bright Eyes announce plans to reissue all nine of their studio albums. In addition, they’ll drop a Companion Series EP alongside each reissue, including covers and extras featuring artists like Phoebe Bridgers and Waxahatchee.

In total, Bright Eyes’ entire project will yield 54 new recordings this year. In a statement about massive undertaking, Conor Oberst said he liked the challenge of it. “It’s a meaningful way to connect with the past that doesn’t feel totally nostalgic and self-indulgent,” he said. “We are taking these songs and making them interesting to us all over again. I like that. I like a challenge. I like to be forced to do something that’s slightly hard, just to see if we can.”

Watch the band’s trailer above and check out their upcoming Companion Series tracklists below.

A Collection Of Songs Written And Recorded 1995-1997: A Companion
1. “Driving Fast Through A Big City At Night”
2. “Solid Jackson”
3. “A Celebration Upon Completion”
4. “Falling Out of Love At This Volume”
5. “Exaltation On A Cool Kitchen Floor”
6. “Double Joe”

Letting Off The Happiness: A Companion
1. “The Difference In The Shades”
2. “The City Has Sex” Feat. Waxahatchee
3. “Contrast And Compare” Feat. Waxahatchee
4. “Kathy With A K’s Song” Feat. M Ward
5. “St. Ides Heaven” Feat. Phoebe Bridgers
6. “June On The West Coast” Feat. Becky Stark

Fevers And Mirrors: A Companion
1. “Haligh, Haligh, A Lie, Haligh” Feat. Phoebe Bridgers
2. “A Scale, A Mirror, And Those Indifferent Clocks” Feat. Phoebe Bridgers
3. “Arienette”
4. “Hypnotist (Song for Daniel H)”
5. “When The Curious Girl Realizes She Is Under Glass” Feat. Phoebe Bridgers
6. “A Spindle, A Darkness, A Fever, And A Necklace” Feat. Phoebe Bridgers

A Collection of Songs Written And Recorded 1995-1997, Letting Off The Happiness, and Fevers And Mirrors is out 5/27 via Dead Oceans. Pre-order it here.

Marvel released four titles in 2021: one is the best action movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe; one is the fourth highest-grossing movie ever; one resulted in the film’s star filing a lawsuit against Disney (and made a ton of money); and one is Eternals.

Chloé Zhao’s sprawling follow-up to Best Picture winner Nomadland was a big swing and, depending on who you ask, a big miss. It’s the only MCU movie with a “Rotten” rating on Rotten Tomatoes, for whatever that’s worth, and while Spider-Man: No Way Home is up to $1.7 billion at the worldwide box office, Eternals is around $400 million. Leaving aside $400 million being a “disappointment,” that’s about where it will stay, as the film left theaters in the U.S. last week after making $164 million domestically.

As noted by The Direct, that’s the second-lowest domestic gross for any MCU movie. You can probably guess the lowest!

Chloe Zhao’s epic leaves theaters with a $164.9 million return domestically, $30 million more than Marvel Studios’ lowest domestic haul in 2008’s The Incredible Hulk ($134 million). Eternals also falls $60 million short of fellow fall 2021 MCU release Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, which boasted $224 million at the domestic box office.

If you adjust for inflation, The Incredible Hulk‘s $134 million rises to $173 million… but maybe that’s unfair to consider since the Edward Norton-starring film wasn’t released during a global pandemic. In a “normal” year, Eternals would have likely made more — if only for the cameo at the end. Worldwide, it’s fourth from the bottom, ahead of Black Widow ($375 million, although the Disney+ numbers skew the total), Captain America: The First Avenger ($370 million), and The Incredible Hulk ($265 million).

Eternals wasn’t the hit that Marvel hoped for with such a star-studded cast, but everything’s fine. Marvel Studios will continue to pump out mega-blockbusters for years (decades?) to come, Kumail Nanjiani is still jacked, and Zhao is working on a “futuristic sci-fi western” about Dracula. It was all worth it for that.

(Via The Direct)

Even if you don’t follow country music super closely, odds are you’ve already heard of Mickey Guyton. The rising country star is part of a movement within the genre that is demanding the whitewashing in country must stop — and that artists like Morgan Wallen, who was caught on tape saying the “N word” and still saw a surge in sales and popularity — not be the only ones representing their genre.

Guyton’s debut album, Remember Her Name, was released in September last year, and she’s already preceded that with a couple of EPs and impactful singles that made waves, like “Black Like Me,” one of her earliest breakout hits “Better Than You Left Me,” and my personal favorite, “Rosé.” With the release of “Black Like Me,” Guyton became the first Black woman to ever be nominated by the Grammys for the Best Country Solo Performance category, and has been making waves in so many ways since.

One honor that Guyton is kicking off 2022 with is the opportunity to sing the national anthem at this year’s Super Bowl. The Bengals will be facing off against the Rams, and Guyton will be there to help open up the biggest game of the year. “Look at God. I am shook, I am grateful, I am praise dancing…” she wrote on Twitter with the news. “So excited to be singing the national anthem at #SBLVI on February 13th!” Tune in to get a taste of her stunning vocals this Sunday at Super Bowl LVI.

Seemingly against all odds, Versace dress enthusiast Jennifer Lopez and unofficial Dunkin’ Donuts spokesperson Ben Affleck have famously proved everyone wrong by giving their notorious relationship another go, which is practically unheard of for New York/Boston couples.

“I feel so lucky and happy and proud to be with him,” Lopez told People Magazine in a new cover story. “It’s a beautiful love story that we got a second chance.”

The first chance was a broken engagement nearly two decades ago, when the couple famously split just days before their wedding in 2003. “It’s beautiful the way it feels very different than it was years ago. … There’s more of an appreciation and a celebration for it, which is nice,” says Lopez, who went on to marry Marc Anthony before their divorce in 2011. Affleck went onto date, and eventually marry, another Jennifer, which was also tumultuous.

Lopez says that having many years go by was an opportunity for the two to grow and understand fame, which was a main reason their initial relationship was squashed. “Before we kind of put [our relationship] out there and we were naïve and it got a little trampled.”

As for Affleck, who has a breakout role in 1992 as Basketball Player #10 in Buffy TheVampire Slayer, along with some minor superhero roles, Lopez feels as though he has matured over the years. “I’m so proud of the him, I’m so proud of the man he’s become that I’ve watched from afar. Being honest with each other, being loving, that’s just the basis of everything,” Lopez says.

The actress added, “I feel like he’s at a place in his life where — just like how I feel about myself — it’s been a journey of learning yourself and figuring yourself out, getting to a place where you feel really good on your own and who you are so you can be in a happy, healthy relationship.” Sometimes, figuring yourself out is just learning what your Dunkin’ coffee preference is. That’s true love.

Joe Rogan apologized (after Spotify announced that his podcast will include “content advisory” warnings) for spreading Covid misinformation, and it’s doing well for him so far. The Daily Show host Trevor Noah couldn’t believe that he agreed with part of what Rogan said, and multiple ladies from The View praised the “refreshing” turn of events. All of this happened after Neil Young and Joni Mitchell decided to pull their music from Spotify, and that move followed hundreds of doctors signing an open letter to Spotify with a plea to address the resulting Covid mess.

Now Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is onboard with Rogan’s apology, and the Jungle Cruise star hopped into Rogan’s Instagram comments with all manner of praise (and a quick mention of tequila, which Johnson sells under the Teremana brand). “Great stuff here brother. Perfectly articulated,” The Rock wrote. “Look forward to coming on one day and breaking out the tequila with you.”

Only time will tell, though, if Rogan will stick to his word, but he slipped up a bit already. Not too long after Rogan’s apology (and admission that he gets things wrong sometimes), the popular podcaster shared an inaccurate article about Ivermectin, so there’s undoubtedly more vetting that he must do on the Covid subject. It’s also safe to say that a three-hour long podcast will veer off the rails at some point. Yet hopefully, Rogan will (literally) put his money where his mouth is and be more careful with what he shares to his devoted legion, which includes UFC president Dana White and Green Bay Packers QB Aaron Rodgers, who believe him despite Rogan not being a doctor.

Here’s some great news for residents of the DMV area: Beloved hip-hop and R&B festival Broccoli City is returning for the first time in three years after being canceled due to COVID concerns in 2020 and 2021. The festival’s organizers announced the dates and lineup today after the two-year hiatus, bringing a worthy selection of both hometown heroes and national favorites to the RFK Festival Grounds in Washington DC on May 7 and 8.

From the local side of things, Broccoli City has booked Ari Lennox, Masego, Rico Nasty, and of course, festival mainstay and DC’s unofficial rap ambassador Wale. Elsewhere on the bill, trap rap faves 21 Savage, Gunna, and Jeezy will bring the Atlanta sound to the stage, while drill pioneers Lil Durk and Babyface Ray will bring that unique sound. Rising stars Alex Vaughn, Don Toliver, Joony, Joyce Wrice, Larry June, Muni Long, and Tems will bring a variety of vibes, with Nigerian superstar Wizkid contributing some Afrobeats to round things out.

The last Broccoli City festival that actually went on as planned took place in 2019, headlined by Childish Gambino and Lil Wayne. Interestingly enough, it also featured Gunna and Wizkid on the bill, so it’s nice to see them returning and bringing the festival full circle in its return. You can get more information and tickets at bcfestival.com.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

If there’s anything the next generation of pop stars have down pat, it’s social media. That goes double for Conan Gray, who was practically born and raised on the internet, and even built up his own digital following at a young age with Youtube videos and plenty of #content before his powerhouse ballads and anthems took over pop. From the anthemic joyride bangers like “Overdrive” and the softer, quieter songs like “Astronomy,” or “People Watching,” Gray is quickly becoming a standout voice in the ever-expanding world of Gen Z stars.

Though he’s already released a brand new song in 2022, “Jigsaw,” for a recent #BehindTheTweets, Gray — and fellow rising star Gracie Abrams — looked back into the past. Tagging Gray in her post, Gracie tweeted “I teared up when Taylor posted @ConanGray, I’m not even joking real tears.” After making sure to note that he loves Gracie, Conan reflected on his own reaction to what is a pretty seminal moment in any young pop star’s career, let alone one who is so clearly influenced by the Swiftian songwriting complex.

“I also teared up,” Conan admitted. “It was a unanimous tear up.” Check out his reading of the tweet and more reflections about Taylor in the video above. And, as always, keep an ear out for more new music from Conan coming soon.

Keeping track of all the new albums coming out in a given month is a big job, but we’re up for it: Below is a comprehensive list of the major releases you can look forward to in February. If you’re not trying to potentially miss out on anything, it might be a good idea to keep reading.

Friday, February 4

• 2 Chainz — Dope Don’t Sell Itself (Def Jam)
• A Place To Bury Strangers — See Through You (Dedstrange)
• Adekunle Gold — Catch Me If You Can (Afro Urban Records)
• Alai K — Kila Mara (On The Corner Records)
• Animal Collective — Time Skiffs (Domino)
• As It Is — I Went To Hell And Back (Fearless Records)
• Azar Lawrence — New Sky (Trazar Records)
• B.J. Thomas — In Remembrance: Love Songs & Lost Treasures (Real Gone Music)
• Bastille — Give Me The Future (Virgin Records)
• Black Country, New Road — Ants From Up There (Ninja Tune)
• Carlie Hanson — Tough Boy (Warner Records)
• Cate Le Bon — Pompeii (Mexican Summer)
• The Districts — Great American Painting (Fat Possum)
• Dylan Dunlap — Stranger In My Head EP (Nettwerk)
• Eric Krasno — Always (Provogue)
• Erin Rae — Lighten Up (Good Memory/Thirty Tigers)
• Gracie Gray — anna (Hand In Hive)
• Great Lakes — Contenders (HHBTM Records)
• Hembree — It’s A Dream! (Thirty Tigers)
• The High Water Marks — Proclaimer Of Things (Minty Fresh)
• Hippo Campus — LP3 (Grand Jury)
• Hollis Brown — In The Aftermath (Mascot Label Group/Cool Green Recordings)
• Jolly Joker — Loud & Proud (Dark Rails Records)
• Josienne Clarke — I Promised You Light EP (Corduroy Punk Records)
• Korn — Requiem (Loma Vista)
• Kristine Leschper — The Opening, Or Closing Of A Door (Anti)
• Mac Gollehon — The End Is The Beginning EP (Nefarious Industries)
• Marissa Nadler — The Wrath Of The Clouds EP (Sacred Bones/Bella Union)
• Mason Jennings — Real Heart (Loosegroove Records)
• Mikayla McVey — Time Turns Everything (The Long Road Society)
• Mitski — Laurel Hell (Dead Oceans)
• Nate Scheible — Fairfax (ACR)
• Native Sun — Joy Theft EP (Radio Silence)
• The Reds, Pinks & Purples — Summer At Land’s End (Slumberland)
• Saba — Few Good Things (Pivot Gang)
• Sam Weber — Get Free (Sonic Unyon Records)
• The Slow Show — Still Life (Velveteen Records)
• Sweat — Gotta Give It Up (Pirates Press Records)
• Wild Rivers — Sidelines (Nettwerk)
• WizTheMC — Where Silence Feels Good EP (10k Projects/Homemade Projects)
• yeule — Glitch Princess (Bayonet Records)

Friday, February 11

• Adam Miller — Gateway (Inner Magic)
• alt-J — The Dream (Canvasback Music)
• Amos Lee — Dreamland (Dualtone Records)
• Anika — Change: The Remixes (Sacred Bones Records)
• Big Thief — Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You (4AD)
• The Cactus Blossoms — One Day (Walkie Talkie Records)
• Dan Andriano & The Bygones — Dear Darkness (Epitaph)
• Dead Tree Seeds — Back To The Seeds EP (Music Records)
• The Delines — The Sea Drift (Jealous Butcher Records)
• Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio — Cold As Weiss (Colemine Records)
• Donna Missal — in The mirror, In The night EP (Harvest Records)
• Dream Fiend — Outland (Heavy Machinery Records)
• Eddie Vedder — Earthling (Sony)
• Emilie Zoé — Hello Future Me (Hummus Records)
• Ethan Iverson — Every Note Is True (Blue Note)
• Foxes — The Kick (PIAS Recordings)
• Frank Turner — FTHC (Polydor)
• Holo — In Limbo EP (Anjunadeep)
• Home Counties — In A Middle English Town EP (Alcopop! Records)
• Jason Mraz — Lalalalovesongs (ACG/Atlantic)
• Jazmine Sullivan — Heaux Tales, Mo’ Tales: The Deluxe (RCA Records)
• Joywave — Cleanse (Blood Records)
• Jura — Formality Jerne-Site (Anyines)
• Kenny Muney — Time Is Muney (Paper Route Empire)
• La Armada — Anti-Colonial Vol. 2 (Mal De Ojo Records)
• Lotte Kestner — Lost Songs (Saint-Loup Records)
• Lynda Randle — Pilgrim Journey (Spring House)
• Mary J. Blige — Good Morning Gorgeous (WEA)
• Massive Ego — The New Normal EP (Out Of Line)
• Mild Orange — Looking For Space (AWAL)
• Night Palace — Diving Rings (Park The Van)
• Night Shop — Forever Night (Dangerbird)
• Once Human — Scar Weaver (earMUSIC)
• Raveena — Asha’s Awakening (Warner)
• Rob Burger — Marching with Feathers (Western Vinyl)
• Sea Change — Mutual Dreaming (Shapes Recordings)
• Sea Power — Everything Was Forever (Golden Chariot Records)
• Shamir — Heterosexuality (self-released)
• Slash Ft. Myles Kennedy And The Conspirators — 4 (Gibson Records)
• Sofiane Pamart — Letter (Pias America)
• Spoon — Lucifer On The Sofa (Matador Records)
• Studio Electrophonique — Happier Things EP (Violette Records)
• Weatherstate — Never Better (Rude Records)
• William Ryan Key — Everything Except Desire EP (Equal Vision/Rude Records)

Friday, February 18

• A Will Away — Stew (Rude Records)
• Anna Laura Quinn — Open The Door (Next Level)
• Arjen Anthony Lucassen — Revel In Time (InsideOutMusic)
• Beach House — Once Twice Melody (Sub Pop)
• Bob Stroger And The Headcutters — That’s My Name (Delmark Records)
• The Body And OAA — Enemy Of Love (Thrill Jockey)
• Broods — Space Island (Universal)
• Carlie Hanson — Tough Boy (Warner Records)
• Dawnrider — The Fourth Dawn (Alma Mater Records)
• Debit — The Long Count (Modern Love)
• Elephant Stone — Le voyage de M. Lonely dans la lune (Elephants On Parade)
• Ellah A. Thaun — Arcane Majeur Deux (XVIII records)
• Hurray For The Riff Raff — Life On Earth (Nonesuch Records)
• The Infamous Stringdusters — Toward The Fray (Regime Music)
• Jarguna — Neogene (Projekt)
• Jonas Lindberg And The Other Side — Miles From Nowhere (Inside Out Music)
• JP Cooper — She (Island Records)
• Katie Tupper — Towards The End EP (Arts & Crafts)
• Kendra Morris — Nine Lives (Karma Chief Records)
• Khruangbin & Leon Bridges — Texas Moon EP (Dead Oceans)
• Lavender Country — Blackberry Rose (Don Giovanni Records)
• MAITA — I Just Want To Be Wild For You (Kill Rock Stars)
• Manic Sinners — King Of The Badlands (Frontiers)
• Methyl Ethel — Are You Haunted? (Future Classic)
• Metronomy — Small World (Because Music)
• Michael Lane — Take It Slow (Greywood Records)
• Oliver Future — A Year At Home (Peak Dumb Recordings)
• Oliver Tree — Cowboy Tears (Atlantic R&S)
• Sally Shapiro — Sad Cities (Italians Do It Better)
• Shout Out Louds — House (Bud Fox Recordings/Integral)
• Star One — Revel In Time (InsideOutMusic)
• Steve Poltz — Stardust & Satellites (Compass Records)
• The Thing With Feathers — Sundays In The South EP (Fat Pipe Recordings/Kartel Music Group)
• Uèle Lamore — Loom (XXIM Records/Sony)
• Various Artists — Ocean Child: Songs Of Yoko Ono (Atlantic Records)
• White Lies — As I Try Not To Fall Apart (Pias America)
• Wynona Bleach — Moonsoake (Fierce Panda Records)
• Youth Sector — Adult Contemporary EP (Family Values)

Friday, February 25

• Avril Lavigne — Love Sux (DTA Records)
• Bambara — Love On My Mind (Wharf Cat)
• Basia Bulat — The Garden (Secret City Records)
• Beth Hart — A Tribute To Led Zeppelin (Provogue/Mascot Label Group)
• Binker & Moses — Feeding The Machine (Gearbox)
• Blue Lab Beats — Motherland Journey (Blue Note)
• Buzzard Buzzard Buzzard — Backhand Deals (Communion)
• Carmen Villain — Only Love From Now On (Smalltown Supersound)
• Caroline Loveglow — Strawberry (100% Electronica)
• Carson McHone — Still Life (Merge)
• CMAT — If My Wife New I’d Be Dead (AWAL Recordings)
• Coyle Girelli — Funland (Honey Lemon Records)
• Dan Patlansky — Shelter Of Bones (Virgin)
• Dashboard Confessional — All The Truth That I Can Tell (Hidden Note Records)
• Daytime TV — Nothing’s On But Everybody’s Watching (Allotment)
• Deserta — Every Moment, Everything You Need (Felte)
• DJ Hank — The City Stars EP (Hyperdub Records)
• Early Eyes — Look Alive (Epitaph Records)
• Filligar — Future Self (Decade Records)
• Gang Of Youths — Angel In Realtime (Warner Records)
• Graphic Nature — New Skin EP (Rude Records)
• Huerco S. — Plonk (Incienso)
• Jamie McDell — Jamie McDell (ABC Music)
• Johnny Marr — Fever Dreams Pts 1-4 (BMG)
• Judy Collins — Spellbound (Cleopatra)
• Keeley Forsyth — Limbs (The Leaf Label)
• King Hannah — I’m Not Sorry, I Was Just Being Me (City Slang)
• Kyle Morgan — Younger At Most Everything (Team Love Records)
• Lo Moon — A Modern Life (Strngr Recordings/Thirty Tigers)
• Nick D’Virgilio, Neal Morse & Ross Jennings — Troika (Radiant Records)
• OSKA — My World, My Love, Paris (Nettwerk)
• Pierce Turner — Terrible Good (Storysound Records)
• Pintandwefall — Seventh Baby (GAEA)
• Pixies — Live In Brixton (Demon)
• Richard Clayderman — Forever Love (WEA)
• Robert Glasper — Black Radio III (Loma Vista)
• Sasami — Squeeze (Domino)
• Sevdaliza — Raving Dahlia EP (Twisted Elegance)
• Scorpions — Rock Believer (Vertigo Berlin)
• Shiva Burlesque — Mercury Blues (+Skulduggery) (Darla Records)
• Soft Cell — *Happiness Not Included (BMG)
• Spencer Hoffman — A Flower From Behind EP (Park the Van Records)
• Spiritualized — Everything Was Beautiful (Bella Union)
• String Machine — Hallelujah Hell Yeah (Know Hope Records)
• Superchunk — Wild Loneliness (Merge)
• Swamp Dogg — I Need A Job… So I Can Buy More Autotune (Don Giovanni)
• Tangerine Dream — Raum (Kscope/Eastgate Music)
• Tears For Fears — The Tipping Point (Concord)
• Under The Rug — Dear Adeline (Anabl)
• Various Artists — Euphoria Season 2 (An HBO Original Series Soundtrack) (Interscope)
• VHS Collection — Night Drive (Tiger Tone)
• Your Planet Is Next — Mr. Music (Studio Barnhus)

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

After dropping an apology video on Monday morning and addressing the controversy that led music legends Neil Young and Joni Mitchell to pull their music from Spotify, Joe Rogan shared more misinformation within hours. Despite a promise to do better and balance things out by bringing more experts with “differing opinions” onto his podcast, Rogan reportedly tweeted (and deleted) a Reuters report that claimed a new study proved ivermectin is effective against COVID. There’s just one small problem: The report was wrong.

It’d be one thing if Rogan tweeted the article before it was corrected, but unfortunately for the podcast host, that’s not what happened. Rogan shared the article hours after Reuters had issued a very large and prominent correction, which Rogan would’ve seen if he had actually read the link before tweeting it. Via Mediaite:

“The original Reuters story misstated that ivermectin was ‘effective’ against Omicron in Phase III clinical trials, which are conducted in humans,” a Reuters spokesperson told Mediaite. “We corrected this to clarify it had an ‘antiviral effect’ against Omicron and it was shown in joint non-clinical research. After being made aware of the error, we corrected our story immediately.”

Hours after that correction was made, Rogan tweeted out the incorrect headline to his 8.1 million followers. Ben Shapiro retweeted the incorrect headline to his 3.7 million followers.

In Rogan’s quasi-defense, he eventually deleted the tweet. However, it was up for at least an hour, which was plenty of time for the misinformation to bounce around right-wing and anti-vaxxer accounts like wildfire.

(Via Mediaite)

The Super Bowl LVI matchup is set between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Los Angeles Rams, who will be the second team in NFL history (and second team in a row) to get to play a Super Bowl in their home stadium in two weeks.

It is far from the matchup most predicted when the NFL Playoffs began, as both the Rams and Bengals entered the postseason as the 4-seed in their respective conference. Los Angeles’ path to the Super Bowl took them through a pair of divisional rivals, starting with the Cardinals and ending with the 49ers, but the highlight of their playoff run thus far was a thriller in Tampa Bay where they unseated the defending champs on a last-second field goal. For Cincinnati, they’ve gotten through three nail-biters against the Raiders, Titans, and most impressively the Chiefs, coming back from 18 down to match the 2006 Indianapolis Colts for the biggest conference championship game comeback in NFL history.

For the next two weeks, these two teams will be trying to come up with the best game plan of the year that highlights their strengths and takes advantage of the other’s weaknesses in order to best position themselves to hoist the Lombardi Trophy. Here, we’re going to look at the statistical matchup for these two offenses and defenses, as well as their special teams units to see where the advantages lie for each and where we can expect them to focus their attacks on both sides of the ball come Super Bowl Sunday.

Rams offense vs. Bengals defense

Below you can find each team’s offensive and defensive ranks in some key categories, but here we’ll highlight the biggest advantages for L.A.’s offense and Cincinnati’s defense. The Rams lean heavily on the right arm of Matthew Stafford, for better and worse, and his ability to create big plays in the passing game is going to be critical for L.A. They are third in the NFL in yards per attempt through the air, third in 20+ yard pass plays, and first in 40+ yard pass plays, and you can expect them to look to pop the top off of a Cincinnati defense that has been susceptible to that (they allowed the third most 20+ yard pass plays on defense in the NFL this regular season).

For the Bengals, it’ll be bucking that trend as they did in the second half against the Chiefs in the AFC title game (after a dreadful first half). If they can keep a lid on Cooper Kupp and Odell Beckham Jr. — and they typically play coverage with the seventh-lowest blitz percentage in the NFL — they are one of the best (7th) in the NFL at keeping teams off of the scoreboard, as just 33.9 percent of opposing drives result in points. The other area they’ll look to exploit is Stafford’s propensity to throw interceptions, as the Rams tossed 18 picks this year, tied for the fifth-most in the NFL. It’s not a surprise given how much they throw the ball, but Cincinnati’s ability to get pressure with their front four and play coverage behind is going to give them a chance at stealing a possession.

Bengals offense vs. Rams defense

One of the only offenses that can match the Rams aerial onslaught is Cincinnati, which boasts the league’s best passing yards per attempt at 8.7 and is right behind the Rams in 20+ yard plays at 63. Jalen Ramsey figures to be tailing Ja’Marr Chase for most of the day, which will be a fascinating matchup to watch, but despite the presence of the All-Pro DB, L.A. gave up 53 pass plays of 20+ yards this season and Joe Burrow will look to apply some pressure to that secondary.

The most talked about part of this game, almost assuredly, will be the apparent mismatch of the Rams defensive line against the Bengals offensive line. Cincy’s woes up front are well documented, rearing their head in the game in Tennessee when Burrow was sacked nine times in the win. Aaron Donald, Von Miller, and the Rams front will be expected to wreak havoc on the Bengals, who have been particularly soft in the middle of the line. If L.A. can dominate up front as they’re expected, it will make it much more difficult for Burrow to stand in and find those chunk plays down the field. On the flip side, Burrow’s ability to break the pocket, break a tackle, and pick up yards on the ground, as he did a few times in key moments against the Chiefs may be the difference in Cincinnati extending drives and giving themselves more opportunities for those big plays they’ll need.

Rams Special Teams vs. Bengals Special Teams

This figures to be one of the cleanest Super Bowls from a special teams perspective, as both of these units are very good. Evan McPherson, the Bengals rookie kicker, has become a star in these playoffs and has a leg that, in the climate controlled conditions at SoFi Stadium, could put the Bengals in field goal range whenever they cross the Rams 45. Matt Gay is an All-Pro this year, making over 94 percent of his kicks and missing just one XP, but has a couple misses in the last two weeks, including the stunning miss short on a 47 yarder in Tampa. He’s good, but the kicking advantage right now feels like it leans Cincy just a touch.

These are two good punters too, but Johnny Hekker exists on a different plane of existence this season. He doesn’t get a ton of action (51 punts are tied for the third fewest in the league this year), but he allows almost no chances to break a return as opponents have just nine returns for 60 yards all season. Kevin Huber’s no slouch, with 65 punts and just 28 returns for 235 yards, but the punting advantage is certainly in the Rams favor.

Rams Offensive Ranks:

Passing Yards/Att: 8.1 (3rd in the NFL)
Rushing Yards/Att: 4.0 (T23)
Yards Per Play: 6.0 (T3)
Scoring Percentage (drives that end in points): 45.9% (3)
Red Zone TD Percentage: 60.0% (T14)
Third Down Percentage: 43.9% (7)
Passing Plays 20+ Yards: 65 (3)
Passing Plays 40+ Yards: 18 (1)
Rushing Plays 20+ Yards: 3 (31)
Sacks Allowed: 31 (T6)
Interceptions: 18 (T27)
Fumbles Lost: 5 (T3)
Turnover Percentage: 12.2% (16)
Team Penalties: 76 (T3)
Team Penalty Yards: 637 (2)

Rams Defensive Ranks:

Passing Yards/Att: 7.2 (T21st in the NFL)
Rushing Yards/Att: 4.0 (T5)
Yards Per Play: 5.2 (T7)
Scoring Percentage (drives that end in points): 35.9% (13)
Red Zone TD Percentage: 51.8% (8)
Third Down Percentage: 41.3% (21)
Passing Plays Allowed 20+ Yards: 53 (T18)
Passing Plays Allowed 40+ Yards: 10 (T18)
Rushing Plays Allowed 20+ Yards: 4 (2)
Sacks: 50 (3)
Interceptions: 19 (T3)
Fumbles Recovered: 6 (T26)
Turnover Percentage: 13.3% (9)

Bengals Offensive Ranks:

Passing Yards/Att: 8.7 (1st in the NFL)
Rushing Yards/Att: 4.0 (T23)
Yards Per Play: 5.9 (T5)
Scoring Percentage (drives that end in points): 42.6% (12)
Red Zone TD Percentage: 59.6% (16)
Third Down Percentage: 39.6% (16)
Passing Plays 20+ Yards: 63 (T4)
Passing Plays 40+ Yards: 16 (2)
Rushing Plays 20+ Yards: 8 (T22)
Sacks Allowed: 55 (29)
Interceptions: 14 (T14)
Fumbles Lost: 7 (T20)
Turnover Percentage: 10.0% (12)
Team Penalties: 72 (2)
Team Penalty Yards: 620 (1)

Bengals Defensive Ranks:

Passing Yards/Att: 7.2 (T21st in the NFL)
Rushing Yards/Att: 4.3 (T13)
Yards Per Play: 5.5 (T19)
Scoring Percentage (drives that end in points): 33.9% (7)
Red Zone TD Percentage: 60.4% (19)
Third Down Percentage: 41.6% (22)
Passing Plays Allowed 20+ Yards: 65 (29)
Passing Plays Allowed 40+ Yards: 8 (T14)
Rushing Plays Allowed 20+ Yards: 8 (T6)
Sacks: 42 (T11)
Interceptions: 13 (T15)
Fumbles Recovered: 8 (T11)
Turnover Percentage: 11.1% (17)