The Los Angeles Rams are in the Super Bowl for the second time in the last four years, but there is something pretty strange about their berth this year.
The Rams won the NFC title on Sunday with a comeback 20-17 victory over the San Francisco 49ers, punching their ticket to Super Bowl LVI against the Cincinnati Bengals. The game will be played at SoFi Stadium, which is the Rams’ home venue.
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport pointed out an odd technicality Monday about this year’s Super Bowl. Despite playing in their home stadium, the Rams will technically be the away team, and the Bengals will technically be the home team. That is because the designation between the home team and the away team in the Super Bowl alternates every year between the AFC and the NFC.
Tampa Bay, last year’s NFC champion, got to be the home team in the Super Bowl (which, like the Rams, they also played in their home stadium). That means that the AFC gets the chance to be the home team this year.
As the road team, the Rams will get to call the opening coin toss, but little else will change. The Rams will still be playing in front of their home crowd, and Rapoport adds that the team will still be in their own locker room (while the Bengals will presumably get the L.A. Chargers’ locker room).
Super Bowl LVI will also feature the full L.A. experience in other ways, so the Rams will definitely be the visiting team in name only.
Photo: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
