Super Bowl X-Factors: Can Bengals' Joe Mixon hold key to victory vs. Rams?

As we look ahead to Super Bowl LVI on Sunday, it’s fun to look back on some of the storylines we were anticipating way back in Week 1 of the regular season.

How would a 44-year-old Tom Brady look the year after winning his seventh Super Bowl? Well, not only did he throw for over 400 passing yards and four touchdowns in his season-opener, he was in the race for MVP until the final snap of his season – and then promptly retired.

Would Ja’Marr Chase adjust to the pro game after citing bigger footballs as the reason for his pre-season drops? He opened his NFL career with five catches, 101 receiving yards and a touchdown, is now the likely favourite to win Offensive Rookie of the Year and is playing in the Super Bowl.

What would the Rams’ offence look like after acquiring Matthew Stafford from the Lions in exchange for Jared Goff and two first-round picks? Stafford threw for over 300 yards and three touchdowns in his first game in Los Angeles, won three straight playoff games for the first time in his career, and now has a chance to cap things off with a championship.

Pretty crazy season, right? After experiencing six straight wild playoff games over the last two rounds, it sure seems like a chaotic Super Bowl would be the cherry on top of the 2021 season.

Let’s take a look at two players from each team, with offence and defence in mind, that will need to continue performing if they want to be lifting the Lombardi Trophy on Sunday.

Joe Mixon, RB, Bengals
Look, at this point I’ve picked both Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd on different occasions, so if we want to avoid doubling down with these X-factors, we’re going with one of the Joes – and we all know what Burrow can do.

After an injury-plagued 2020, Mixon has been phenomenal in 2021. In the regular season, he put up 1,815 total yards from scrimmage (a franchise record) and 16 touchdowns. In the playoffs alone, he has 296 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown as well.

We know Mixon is important to this Bengals offence, and I’m largely leaning on him here because of his versatility – he runs extremely hard, and is one of the better zone runners in the league. He is also an adept receiver, and in a game where Burrow will likely constantly be on the run against the Rams’ lethal defensive line, the Bengals will absolutely need Mixon to exploit mismatches against slower linebackers for his quarterback to have a chance.

Van Jefferson, WR, Rams
I was tempted to go with Cam Akers once again here – after all, he acquitted himself well versus the tough 49ers’ front after a few fumbles the week prior, and in a game where the Bengals’ secondary will have to load up against L.A.’s star wideouts, it certainly feels like Akers will have room to rumble on the ground.

However, in an effort to avoid repeating myself, let’s look at Jefferson. He’s quietly been one of the more consistent deep threats for Stafford all season long… well, as consistent as one can be when your teammate is Cooper Kupp.

While Jefferson’s numbers did fluctuate slightly once Odell Beckham Jr. was acclimatized to the offence, there were a lot of career highlights for him in 2021: he grabbed 50 catches for 802 receiving yards and six touchdowns — all new personal bests. With all eyes on his two high-profile teammates, Jefferson is going to have to step up, especially if offensive stalwart Tyler Higbee is unavailable Sunday.

Chidobe Awuzie, CB, Bengals
When we talk about the top free agent signings of 2021, the Falcons’ bringing in Cordarrelle Patterson and the Patriots landing Matthew Judon are probably at or near the top of the list while the Bengals’ Trey Hendrickson has shown he is a force to be reckoned with all season long, beating up offensive lines across the league.

One name that is not quite as heralded – but no less important – is Awuzie. He signed a three-year deal worth almost $22 million this past off-season, and has been phenomenal for the Bengals all year long. He has 14 pass deflections on the year, among the league leaders in that category, and has been used a ton in man-to-man coverage.

We know Kupp and Beckham are going to attempt to wreak havoc on the Bengals’ secondary, and Awuzie’s stellar play will have to continue if the Bengals want to bring home a trophy.

Leonard Floyd, DE, Rams
In case you somehow haven’t heard, let me tell you: the Bengals’ offensive line has struggled this season. They allowed 55 sacks in the regular season, plus Joe Burrow went down a whopping nine times in the Divisional Round versus Tennessee. On the other side, the Rams’ defensive line has been operating at the highest level all season, racking up the third-most sacks in the league (50).

We all know the story with Aaron Donald (12.5 sacks) and former Super Bowl MVP Von Miller (9.5 sacks) – and thanks to them, Leonard Floyd has flown under the radar. He notched 18 quarterback hits and 9.5 sacks this season, and will likely be lining up opposite Bengals backup right tackle Isaiah Prince.

Avert your eyes, Bengals fans – since taking over for injured starter Riley Reiff in Week 12, Prince has struggled, allowing three sacks and earning a pass-blocking grade (via Pro Football Focus) of just 51.4 … out of 100. There’s no reason to think Floyd won’t be able to keep the pressure on Burrow all game long, especially if the rest of the line have their hands full with Floyd’s talented teammates.

[relatedlinks]