The first thing that happens after a Super Bowl matchup is set is that everyoneconsiders all the po sible storylines for thatSuper Bowl to gauge how interesting it will be.Not to get meta about media, but with a two-week wait afterconference championship Sunday, there often tends to be too much hype to the point of oversaturation.With the Bengals and Rams meeting in a surprise Super Bowl 56, there will be no shortage of that, given it's not the affair involving Patrick Mahomes, Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers or Josh Allen that anyone expected.Here's help cutting through the early narratives and sticking to what really matters in breaking down what may go down between Cincinnati and Los Angeles, in Sporting News' annual se sion of Super Bowl myth-busting.SUPER BOWL 56PICKS: | Myth 1:The Rams have a home-field advantageFirst, the Rams are playing in SoFi Stadiumbut they are the designated the road team because of how the conferences alternate years with that status. Second, the Rams have won twice in Los Angeles during the playoffsbut they were only 5-3 there in the regular season, losing to quality opponents in the Cardinals, 49ers and Titans. The Bengals beat the Titans in the divisional round.The Super Bowl will have plenty of local Rams fans in the seats, but expect SoFi Stadium to be packed with Bengals fans, who have waited 33 years for this moment to come again. Some will pull out all the stops to go from Cincinnati to Los Angeles. The Rams were just in Super Bowl 53 and turned in a blah performance against the Patriots. As much as the NFL sells the Rams as a super big-market team, they don't draw the sameemotional investment Chipper Jones Jersey . Heck, even NBC's team of Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth will have secret sentimental feelings for their time in Cincinnati.The Rams are favorites on paper, but the Bengals will be the beloved underdogs for many who don't have a dog in the fight, unle s they are a sociated with the Dawg Pound in Cleveland, and even then, they probably prefer that Odell Beckham Jr. doesn't get a ring.MORE:Myth 2: The Rams' defense will bury Joe BurrowPlease don't make a drinking game of how many times some pundit talks about how the Bengals' offensive line vs. Aaron Donald will give Burrow no chance to win Super Bowl 56,because you don't want to go through so many bottles of tequila before gameday guacamole.Donald is a terrific defensive player, the best in the game and the most feared interior disruptor. He now has a Defensive Player of the Year tag-team partner in the front seven, Super Bowl 50 MVP Von Miller.Burrow was the most-sacked QB in the league (51 times!) during the regular season. He was dropped nine times (nine times!) in the divisional round Dansby Swanson Jersey against the Titans. He has overcome that as an MVP-caliber pa ser who keeps getting better with every game at age 25. Defenses can still win championships, but Burrow has proved that not much fazes him. He'll hang in there and deliver in another field day for Cincinnati's pa sing game. He also will smartly avoid Jalen Ramsey as well as he deftly defiespre sure.DeCOURCY:Myth 3: Cooper Kupp and Ja'Marr Chase are the game's key wide receiversKupp won the receiving triple crown (receptions, yards and touchdowns) as a 100-yard and scoring machine.Chase put up the most impre sive rookie season at the position; he was a playmaker both stretching the field and shooting downfield after the catch. The defenses will do their best to contain these two with various coverage looks, but in the end, Kupp and Chase will be schemed open and have a big impact because of their talent.But Kupp has a dangerous new No. 2 in Odell Beckham Jr., who has taken over for the injured Robert Woods. Chase can be considered a co-go-to guy with Tee Higgins. The team that can get the most out of the "other" starterwill win the game. Both OBJ and Higgins went for centuries in theconference championships; the one who has the bigger game likely will be on the winning side.MORE:Myth 4: Sean McVay will badly outcoach Zac TaylorMcVay's coaching tree no longer carries the joke about how everyone's obse sed with finding the next coaching wunderkind like him.That's now serious busine s with Taylor, his former wide receivers and quarterbacks coach, coaching against him in the Super Bowl.McVay is 36, two years younger than Taylor. Taylor is known for his time with McVay, which got him the job with the Bengals, but the former Nebraska QB's NFL coaching experience goes back a decade to his time with the Dolphins.Taylor's staff, including offensive coordinator Brian Callahan and defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo, has been outstanding in its own right. Those top a sistants have been every bit as important to him as offensive coordinator Kevin O'Connell and defensive Orlando Cepeda Jersey coordinator Raheem Morris have been for McVay. The Bengals are well-coached; it's evident in their savvy, mistake-free play. Their young core, starting with Burrow, is wise beyond its years. The Rams have more veterans on the marquee, but on the sideline, McVay and Taylor will be nearly even as they operate on the same high plane.Myth 5: The Bengals' defense has no one to stop the RamsThe Bengals' defense got some needed attention in the playoffs with how it slowed down the Raiders, Titans and Chiefs. Defensive end Trey Hendrickson has proved to be an elite free-agent pickup who haschangedthe course of their pa s rush. He was the finishing touch to a front four that was already a strength, joining end Sam Hubbard and tackles D.J. Reader and B.J. Hill. Onthe second level, Logan Wilson and Germaine Pratt have been revelations at linebacker. Cornerbacks Chidobe Awuzie, Mike Hilton and Eli Apple even though the latter is much maligned havehad their moments in coverage. Safeties Vonn Bell andJe sie Bates have been responsible for ma sive takeaways in the playoffs.When Donald, Miller and Ramsey are on the other side, there's no way the Bengals' defense will get top billing. On paper and by the numbers, they might not seem to be as good, but they are sound all-around and Anarumo has schemed them well to adjust from week to week, half to half. They might give up numbers to Kupp and Beckham, but they can slow down the run and get pre sure on Stafford to change the game at key moments.MORE: Myth 6: The running games won't matter with Burrow and StaffordThe best way to keep pa s rushers off the quarterback is by not needing to pa s all the time to get chunk yards. The Bengals will be willing to stick with Mixon's rushing against the Rams. They also know when to dial up the "extension of the run" with screen plays to Mixon and Samaje Perine. Cincinnati was only 14th in pa s-play frequency in 2021, while Los Angeles was only 16th.Mixon can find good running lanes when the Bengals spread the field with 11 or 10 personnel. Calling his number for power between the tackles will allow the Bengals' interior line to push around Donald and try to wear him down.The Rams' running game so far in the playoffs has been an afterthought. They haven't had an individual runner crack 60 yards between Cam Akers and Sony Michel. But they were effective down the stretch in the regular season Mike Soroka Jersey with Michel featured. They run well enough to keep defenses honest and facilitate downfield pa sing shots for Stafford.Both teams can also applythe old-school "Pa s to score, run to win" adage when working with a lead in the second half.MORE:Myth 7: Bengals vs. Rams is a disappointing matchupComing full circle, this isn' Luke Jackson Jersey t Brady playing in a final Super Bowl before he retires. This isn't Mahomes making the big game for the third time in three years and looking to double his ring total again. This isn't Rodgers, love him or hate him, finally appearing in a second, and po sible last, Super Bowl for the Packers. Josh Allen seemed ready to light up the biggest stage.But don't discount the fact Burrow belongs at the front of the next wave of elite quarterbacks in the AFC with Mahomes and Allen, or that he channels some of the Super Bowl-winning style of Brady, Joe Montana and many other cla sic Super Bowl QBs.And don't forget that Stafford has a good redemption story as a fellow one-time No. 1 overall pick. It's not a small feat that he can suddenly match Rodgers, Ru sell Wilson and, yes, Drew Breesin Super Bowl rings. That, along with his entire 2021 season, can change his narrative from disappointing in Detroit to Canton consideration in Los Angeles, a la Kurt Warner with the Rams (and Cardinals),with a smaller window of excellence.MORE:Donald is back in a Super Bowl. So is Miller. Ramsey is playing in his first after just mi sing out with the Jaguars. Andrew Whitworth gets another crack at age 40. Between Kupp,Chase, Higgins and Beckham, there will be so much fun receiving talent on the field.This is also the final game of an amazing NFL playoffs. You can feel good that something spectacular will happen. Don't knock it until you see it. One shouldn't be surprised if Bengals vs. Rams becomes the latest "greatest Super Bowl of all time," becausewhen it's the next one, it is.