Super Bowl week is here with a Hollywood storyline

Day after big game is the holiday we deserve

Matt Baide | Feb 10, 20220

It’s almost the end of football season capped off by the biggest game of the year: Super Bowl LVI.

The Los Angeles Rams face the Cincinnati Bengals for the Vince Lombardi Trophy. From a regional angle, there is some rooting interest, and there is no more a local star for me (regional for Mason County residents) than Rams’ wide receiver Cooper Kupp, a native of the Palm Springs of Washington (I don’t think Palm Springs, California, is anything like Yakima, but I have never been to Palm Springs to confirm). Kupp went to Davis High School, beat my Washington State Cougars while playing at Eastern Washington University and has turned into a superstar in the NFL. While I will not be rooting for the Rams as they are the Seahawks’ NFC West rival, if the Rams do win, I will be happy for Kupp.

Los Angeles defensive lineman Greg Gaines and safety Taylor Rapp played for the University of Washington, and punter Johnny Hekker was born in Bothell. Cincinnati backup quarterback Jake Browning also played for the Huskies.

The Cincinnati Bengals are the biggest surprise of the season. It’s hard not to root for Cool Joe Burrow, and rookie wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase has been sensational. Cincinnati features former Seahawks’ cornerback Tre Flowers, who was waived by Seattle in October.

I can see Cincinnati winning this game, having defeated the top-seed Titans and No. 2 seed Chiefs to get to the Super Bowl. The team on offense and defense has stepped up in key situations to get Cincinnati to this point.

This game, on paper, favors the Rams, as the Little Creek sportsbook will tell you — they are a 4.5-point favorite as of Tuesday. That makes sense, given they have a formidable defensive line in Aaron Donald and Von Miller along with Gaines. On offense, the Rams boast two solid wide receivers in Kupp and Odell Beckham Jr., and Matthew Stafford has played well to get this team to the championship game.

Outside of the game itself, I’m also looking forward to the halftime show, featuring all the artists I grew up listening to, including Dr. Dre, Eminem and Snoop Dogg. I have seen Lamar perform live and it was one of the best shows I’ve ever seen, and the high schooler in me still would like to see Eminem and Dr. Dre in concert, although that seems less and less likely the older they get.

This game has all the makings of a Hollywood movie. You’ve got the favorites with one of the greatest defensive lineman in the game and an offense that can score a lot of points in a hurry against a team that no one thought would be here, taking down all the best teams to get to the championship game. I believe Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson would play Aaron Donald in this movie and Tom Holland would play Joe Burrow. Mark Wahlberg would play Bengals head coach Zac Taylor and Bradley Cooper would play Rams coach Sean McVay. I predict the Rams will win in a close and entertaining game with a Hollywood ending on a last-second field goal, 30-27.

And one day, the federal government will recognize the day after the Super Bowl as a national holiday and give us the day off we all deserve.

■ Matt Baide is a reporter for the Shelton-Mason County Journal. He can be reached at 360-426-4412 or matt@

masoncounty.com