COMMENTARY: SUPER BOWL LVI – THE PREDICTION

(Listen daily for the Rod Pedersen Commentary on Cat Country 98 & Rock 98.5 FM)

IT’S HIGH TIME WE GOT YOU AN UPDATE FROM SUPER BOWL 56.

WE’VE BEEN IN LOS ANGELES SINCE SATURDAY, BROADCASTING THE ROD PEDERSEN SHOW ON GAME+ TV FROM THE WESTIN-LAX AIRPORT HOTEL.

IT’S BEEN A TRIP.

I’VE BEEN SLOWLY DIPPING MY TOE INTO THE WATER – TRYING TO PACE MYSELF – BUT IT FEELS VERY MUCH LIKE THE TSUNAMI IS COMING.

IN FACT, IT’S PROBABLY ALREADY HIT.

EVERYBODY’S HERE NOW, WHETHER IT BE THE PRO FOOTBALL HALL OF FAMERS LIKE WARREN MOON AND MICHAEL IRVIN, OR THE BIG NAME ENTERTAINMENT ACTS LIKE BLAKE SHELTON, JUSTIN BIEBER, 50 CENT AND JOHN MAYER.

THERE’S TRULY SOMETHING FOR EVERYBODY.

I’VE BEEN IMMERSED IN THE FOOTBALL GUYS, AND THE OPINIONS ARE HEAD-SPINNING. IT’S THE HOMETOWN L.A. RAMS AGAINST THE UPSTART CINCINNATI BENGALS IN SUNDAY’S SUPER BOWL AND I BELIEVE I’VE ALREADY HEARD IT ALL.

THEY SAY THE NFL WOULD PREFER TO HAVE A BIGGER NAME AFC TEAM IN THE SUPER BOWL, RATHER THAN THE ALMOST NO-NAME BENGALS.

HOWEVER THE PLAYMAKER – MICHAEL IRVIN – WENT SO FAR AS TO SAY THE NFL WANTS THE BENGALS TO WIN ON SUNDAY.

L.A.’S ASSEMBLED AN ALL STAR TEAM DESIGNED TO WIN IT ALL AT HOME AND THEY’RE FAVOURED BY 4-POINTS. TAMPA BAY WAS THE FIRST TEAM TO EVER APPEAR IN THE SUPER BOWL AT HOME, AND THEY WON IT ALL LAST YEAR ON THE ARM OF TOM BRADY.

THE RAMS ARE DEATHLY AFRAID OF BEING THE FIRST TEAM TO APPEAR IN THE SUPER BOWL AT HOME, AND LOSE. THE PRESSURE IS IMMENSE AND I FEEL IT’S NO DIFFERENT THAN THE 2013 ROUGHRIDERS. PRESSURE IS PRESSURE.

MANY HAVE ASKED IF WE’LL BE ATTENDING ANY OF THE ENDLESS SUPER BOWL PARTIES AND YES, WE’LL BE AT MIKE DITKA AND RON JAWORSKI’S “CIGARS WITH THE STARS” FUNDRAISER THURSDAY NIGHT BENEFITTING THE GRIDIRON GREATS CHARITY WHICH LENDS A HAND TO NFL ALUMNI WHO’VE FALLEN ON HARD LUCK.

WE’LL ALSO BE AT THE DRAFT KINGS PARTY ON FRIDAY, AND HAVE BEEN AFFORDED A TOUR OF THE GAME+ TV STUDIO IN DOWNTOWN LA WHICH OVERLOOKS CRYPTO.COM ARENA, FORMERLY KNOWN AS STAPLES CENTRE.

JUST LIKE GREY CUP, THERE ARE TWO DISTINCT SIDES TO CHAMPIONSHIP WEEK: THE PARTIES, AND THE GAME. I’VE BEEN INVITED TO ATTEND THE BENGALS DAY-BEFORE WALK-THROUGH BUT I’VE BEEN TO ENOUGH OF THOSE.

AS FOR A GAME PREDICTION, I’VE SEEN ENOUGH TO SAY THIS:

THE RAMS WILL WIN BY DOUBLE DIGITS.

THAT’S TODAY’S ROD PEDERSEN COMMENTARY.

(The Rod Pedersen Show airs daily at 12 pm ET on Game+ TV across Canada and the USA. Call your cable provider for details. You can also watch on YouTube Live or listen 24/7 at RodPedersen.com/ListenLive)