LOS ANGELES (WCMH) — As inexplicable as it sounds, the Cincinnati Bengals are one win away from their first Super Bowl in franchise history.

Cincinnati’s team of destiny will face the Los Angeles Rams this Sunday on NBC4 for football immortality. Kickoff will be about 6:30 p.m. Below are three keys for the Bengals beating LA and bringing the Lombardi Trophy to the Queen City.

More Bengals needed near Burrow

Joe Burrow is Joe Cool under pressure both figuratively and literally. Take a look at how Burrow performed this year against the blitz and against normal, three-to-four-man pressure (stats via Pro Football Focus).

Burrow vs. blitz: 101-of-140 (.721 completion %), 11.20 yards per attempt, 120.2 QB rating
Burrow vs. regular rush: 340-of-489 (.695 completion %), 7.98 yards per attempt, 102.2 QB rating

Bengals coach Zac Taylor put Burrow in a better situation to play well against Kansas City after taking a playoff-record nine sacks against Tennessee in the divisional round. Taylor and offensive coordinator Brian Callahan prefer to give Burrow five options to throw to on designed passes. But against the Chiefs, Cincinnati kept its tight end or running back, and at times both, inside or near the line of scrimmage.

The Bengals did that to provide extra bodies to block for Burrow and buy him time to throw or get outside the pocket where he excels at improvising. Burrow has a sixth sense when it comes to evading pressure but even he can’t get out of every situation, so keep an eye out to see how the Bengals deal with one of the best defensive lines in football, starting with the NFL’s best defensive tackle in Aaron Donald.

The Joe Burrow to Ja’Marr Chase connection is predicated on the Bengals buying their second-year quarterback enough time, which they haven’t done well most of the season allowing the third-most sacks. Cincinnati continues to find ways to win but it won’t get away with a bad offensive line performance against the Rams.

Defense: Win the turnover/red zone battle

Winning the turnover battle is the main reason the Bengals are playing for the Super Bowl. In their three playoff games, the Bengals’ defense forced a staggering nine turnovers while the offense has only committed one.

Rams’ quarterback Matthew Stafford is prone to mistakes and threw a league-leading 17 interceptions in the regular season, tied only by Jacksonville’s rookie QB Trevor Lawrence. Plus, the Rams committed four fumbles in their narrow 30-27 win over the Buccaneers, so jarring the ball out will be a point of emphasis for Cincinnati.

A turnover battle adjacent category should include red zone stops, which the Bengals have exceled at in the postseason recording eight in three games. The Rams rank 17th in the NFL in scoring touchdowns inside the red zone and have failed to score six times inside their opponents’ 20-yard line.

“They’ve played their tails off in the playoffs but really it goes back way before that,” Taylor said. “I think the defense has played tremendously exceptional football over the course of this season. They don’t get the praise that they deserve. All 11 guys play collectively so well together and they’re able to play off each other that it has allowed each one of them to have their own individual success at different times.”

Time and time again in the AFC Championship, momentum swung Cincinnati’s way thanks to timely turnovers starting with Eli Apple’s tackle at the two-yard line to close out the first half, continuing with D.J. Reader’s pass deflection turned pick and culminating with Jessie Bates’ ball hawking skills to deliver an interception into former Buckeye Vonn Bell’s lap in overtime.

In their wins over the Raiders and Titans, the Bengals forced a combined six turnovers, including two, late fourth-quarter picks to seal the win (Raiders) and lead to the winning drive (Titans).

Keep feeding Mixon

Most of the attention on the Bengals’ offense goes to Joe Burrow and the passing attack. And for good reason. Cincinnati boasts one of the most explosive and exciting aerial attacks in the league thanks to the arrival of newly minted NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Ja’Marr Chase. But part of what’s made the passing attack so effective is establishing the run.

It may come as a surprise to know the Bengals rank fifth in the NFL in rushing yards per game and running back Joe Mixon had the third-most rushing yards (1,205) and third-most rushing touchdowns (13) in the regular season.

“When my number’s called I got to do whatever I can to make plays and make sure that no matter what, the team can count on me,” Mixon said.

Watching the Bengals’ three playoff games, fans may have been aggravated at times by Taylor’s insistence to run on first down. But establishing the run is something the Bengals must do to keep the defense honest and limit the number of blitzes Burrow faces.

“They have a really good pass rush so when they know a team is dropping back and throwing the ball they can kind of tee off [on us],” Burrow said.

Getting the ground game going is also important because it gives the offensive line confidence since they can move the defensive line back as opposed to stepping back and reacting to the d-line in pass protection. The feeling of moving the ball, even three yards at a time, seems small but adds up over time and the levee broke in overtime agianst the Chiefs when Cincinnati gained 28 yards on the ground to set up the game-winning field goal.

Running against the Rams won’t be easy. Los Angeles ranks sixth in the NFL in stopping the run, just one spot behind the Bengals.