Former colleagues Sean McVay, Zac Taylor set to square off in Super Bowl

Sean McVay gained’t be the one wunderkind within the Tremendous Bowl this time round. 

Three years after squaring off towards a legendary head coach 33 years his senior, the 36-year-old McVay led the Rams again to the Promised Land, the place he'll match wits in Tremendous Bowl 2022 towards the Bengals’ Zac Taylor in a sport made for some “Fabulous Beneath-40” checklist. 

The 38-year-old Taylor, who was the Rams quarterbacks coach below McVay once they misplaced Tremendous Bowl LIII to Invoice Belichick’s Patriots, steered the Bengals to an 18-point comeback and time beyond regulation upset of the Chiefs on Sunday within the AFC Championship sport. About three hours later, McVay’s Rams accomplished a 10-point fourth-quarter comeback to halt a six-game dropping streak towards the 49ers within the NFC Championship sport. 

“So comfortable for Zac Taylor and the Bengals — what a tricky, resilient group they're. We've some extra work to do,” McVay mentioned. “You look at the beginning of that [Bengals-Chiefs] sport, it didn’t look good for them. They’ve simply continued to point out why they're a mentally robust outfit. I believe that’s mirrored by their head coach. I do know what an incredible coach he's.” 

Zac Taylor (left) was the Rams’ quarterbacks coach below Sean McVay (proper) earlier than taking up the Bengals.

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Want one other means that youth is served on this unlikely Rams-Bengals matchup? Joe Burrow, 25, might be part of Joe Montana, Russell Wilson, Tom Brady, Patrick Mahomes and Ben Roethlisberger as the one beginning quarterbacks to win a Tremendous Bowl at age 25 or youthful. 

There might be some veterans with one thing to say about it, nonetheless. 

Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford, who turns 34 on Feb. 7, is making an attempt to make up for 12 misplaced seasons with the Lions. The Rams have adopted a win-it-for-Aaron Donald mentality, despite the fact that he's solely 30. And Von Miller, 32, is chasing a second ring after the lean years that adopted his Tremendous Bowl 50 MVP efficiency for the Broncos. 

“It’s similar to having a second child,” Miller mentioned. “You like the primary one. When you might have one other, you're keen on the second child, too. However they're each completely completely different. You need to separate the 2. A number of the particular issues we did that yr I attempt to apply to this workforce.” 

It’s the fourth Tremendous Bowl look for the Rams (winners in 2000) and the third for the Bengals, who misplaced twice to the 49ers within the Nineteen Eighties. The marginally favored Rams will attempt to turn into the second straight Tremendous Bowl winner celebrating in its residence stadium — the Buccaneers gained in Tampa Bay final February — after the host metropolis didn't ship a workforce in every of the primary 54 Tremendous Bowls. 

“It’s nice that it’s right here, but when we’re enjoying in it I don’t have a sh– the place it's,” Stafford mentioned. “I simply need to play within the dang factor.”