The Los Angeles Rams vs. the Cincinnati Bengals will close out Week 3 of the NFL season on Monday Night Football. The two squads will match up for the first time since Super 56, where the Rams edged out the Bengals in a thrilling 23-20 win. Super Bowl 56 was in February 2022, just over a year and a half ago. And despite that, both teams look very different now to how they did back then. What happened to each team's starting 22 from the Super Bowl? Where are they now, and how has each team fared in the season since their Super Bowl runs?
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Rams offense
QB Matthew Stafford – still there
RB Cam Akers – traded to the Minnesota Vikings
WR Cooper Kupp – still there, out
WR Van Jefferson – still there
WR Odell Beckham Jr. – on the Baltimore Ravens
TE Tyler Higbee – still here
LT Andrew Whitworth – retired
LG David Edwards – on Buffalo Bills
C Brian Allen – still there
RG Austin Corbett – on Panthers
RT Rob Havenstein – still there
The Los Angeles Rams offense has changed a lot in the last season. While Stafford and Kupp remain, nearly everyone else is gone, often in dramatic fashion. Cam Akers was the most recent causality of this Rams regime wheeling and dealing. His departure means just six of the starting 11 Rams on offense are still with the team one entire season later. This number is even lower if you consider that Kupp will be injured and out for this game, and center Brian Allen is no longer the starter. So, while some continuity remains for the Rams on offense, Stafford is essentially throwing and handing off to a wide new variety of skill players and has about half his offensive line from the Super Bowl still there.
Rams defense
DE A'Shawn Robinson – on New York Giants
NT Greg Gaines – on Tampa Bay Buccaneers
DT Aaron Donald – still there
OLB Von Miller – on Bills
OLB Leonard Floyd – on Bills
ILB Ernest Jones – still there
ILB Troy Reeder – is back after one year with the Los Angeles Chargers
CB Jalen Ramsey – on Miami Dolphins
CB Darious Williams – on Jacksonville Jaguars
SS Nick Scott – on Cincinnati Bengals, ironically
FS Taylor Rapp – on Bills
The Rams' defense has undergone a complete overhaul in the one entire season of football played since they won their Super Bowl. Their rental contracts with Von Miller and Jalen Ramsey are up, and both have gone to greener pastures. Incidentally, Miller is just one of three current Buffalo Bills players who started for that Rams defense that helped bring a championship back to Los Angeles. Aaron Donald remains the heart and soul of this unit and has proven over and over that he can take over games regardless of who's around him. Despite Donald's presence, losing some of the talent on the back end and in the secondary has led the Rams' defense to take a step back last year. Not to mention that they were struck by the injury bug as well.
Bengals offense
QB Joe Burrow – still there, questionable
RB Joe Mixon – still there
WR Ja'Marr Chase – still there
WR Tee Higgins – still there
WR Tyler Boyd – still there
TE C.J. Uzomah – on the New York Jets
LT Jonah Williams – still there
LG Quinton Spain – free agent/out of league
C Trey Hopkins – out of league
RG Hakeem Adeniji – on the Vikings
RT Isaiah Prince – Atlanta Falcons
In contrast to their West Coast counterparts, the Cincinnati Bengals boast a lot of continuity from their Super Bowl squad. On offense, their skill positions are essentially identical, with Burrow and his favorite targets on the outside still in town. Joe Mixon is also still churning yards from the backfield, but up front, the Bengals have had a near-complete overhaul in the last 18 months. Ironically, it's Burrow, the NFL's new money man, who has been struggling to start the season. After two incredibly uninspiring performances, we learned Burrow may have reaggravated a calf injury that has him as a questionable game-time decision for his grudge match against the Rams.
Bengals defense
DE Sam Hubbard – still there
NT D.J. Reader – still there
DT B.J. Hill – still there
DE Trey Hendrickson – still there
OLB Markus Bailey – still there
MLB Germaine Pratt – still there
OLB Logan Wilson – still there
CB Chidobe Awuzie – still there
CB Eli Apple – on the Dolphins
SS Vonn Bell – on the Carolina Panthers
FS Jessie Bates – on the Falcons
Like their offense, the defense has primarily stuck around in Cincinnati. The front seven are still with the team, which helped contribute to an even better 2022 than 2021 in the regular season for this squad. Their upgrades have predominantly come on the back end in the secondary, including former Super Bowl opponent safety Nick Scott, acquired from the Rams. The front seven has been struggling against the run, though, and will need to get their act together if they want to keep the Rams offense in check and avoid going 0-3 to start the season.