Oddsmakers may not think the Cincinnati Bengals will win the Super Bowl, but it turns out that plenty of celebrities do.
This week, multiple influencers have come out in support of the Bengals celebrating a victory over the Los Angeles Rams when the teams meet during Super Bowl LVI on Feb. 13.
Stephen Colbert
On Monday, The Late Show host Stephen Colbert showed that he knew a little something about Cincinnati.
"Now the Super Bowl match-up is set: the star-studded L.A. Rams vs. the upstart Cincinnati Bengals. This is the most exciting thing to happen to Cincinnati since they found all that spaghetti under their chili," Colbert said during his monologue (perhaps correctly, even).
Colbert then went on to say that his betting strategy revolved around which team's mascot could clobber the other mascot. Naturally, Colbert chose wisely.
"Rams, they've got horns, but I don't see any kind of sheep taking down a Bengal tiger, OK? 800 pounds, apex predator, razor-sharp retractable claws. Put it all on... which city is that? Cincinnati. Put it all on that one," he told the audience.
And Colbert couldn't finish his Super Bowl segment without mentioning Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow's excellent fashion sense.
"All the focus will be on the top-two helmet boys, Rams quarterback and golden retriever who wished to be a man Matthew Stafford and Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, seen here about to chase James Bond on a snowmobile," Colbert said while showing a photo of Burrow in his fur coat and diamond Nike chain.
Watch Colbert's Jan. 31 monologue below.
Jimmy Fallon
The Tonight Show host Jimmy Fallon also called for a Bengals win — well, in a sense.
"You've got two underdog teams: the Cincinnati Bengals taking on the Los Angeles Rams. You've got veteran quarterback Matthew Stafford going up against newcomer Joe Burrow. It's nearly impossible to predict who's going to win," Fallon said on Jan. 31. "But you're in luck, because when it comes to predicting things, we've got a secret weapon, and it's puppies."
In Fallon's annual "Puppy Predictors" segment, two tiny canines represent each Super Bowl team and race down some Astroturf for a bowl of kibble. The first one to the bowl is the team that will win the big game, Fallon says.
On Monday, Fallon unveiled two adorable puppies wearing team jerseys: puppy Ron Bell for the Bengals and Gary Frick, Jr., for the Rams.
"I don't want any wandering or butt sniffing. I want this to be fair," Fallon explained to the dogs as they sat calmly, awaiting their cue. "Look at the focus on these guys!"
Upon the puppies' release, Gary Frick, Jr. raced ahead. But in true Bengals fashion, Ron Bell quickly came from behind to nose his way into the food bowl just before his friend could take a taste, putting The Tonight Show into the Cincinnati column.
Watch Fallon's Jan. 31 segment below.
Fiona the Hippo
Famed Cincinnati hippo Fiona also has picked the Bengals to win in the upcoming game against the Los Angeles Rams, just weeks after celebrating her fifth birthday
In a video shared by the Cincinnati Zoo, Fiona chooses between two blocks — one representing the Rams and a much larger block representing the Bengals. Almost immediately, Fiona goes for the block with the big "B."
The oversized rolly polly has predicted five Super Bowl outcomes and has been correct 50% of the time, incorrectly picking the Kansas City Chiefs last year and getting it right in 2020 by puking on the Chiefs' symbol.
In 2018, she chose the Philadelphia Eagles to win over the New England Patriots (they did). In 2019, she predicted the Rams to win over the Patriots (they did not).
Watch Fiona choose the Bengals below.
The Bengals will take on the Los Angeles Rams during Super Bowl LVI on Sunday, Feb. 13. The Rams won the Jan. 30 NFC Championship game to advance with the Bengals, who overcame the Kansas City Chiefs in overtime just hours earlier to become the AFC champs.
The Super Bowl will take place at 6:30 p.m. at the Rams' home of SoFi Stadium in Inglewood (the Bengals will serve as the home team). NBC will broadcast the game, and fans also can watch on Peacock, Telemundo, NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app.
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