This Sunday , February 13 , 2022 , the Los Angeles Rams will look off against the Cincinnati Bengals in Super Bowl LVI . The Rams will likely have more rooter on site : The game is taking place atSoFi Stadium , their home arena in Inglewood , California . But the Bengals may have more supporters overall — the team has n’t been to the Super Bowlsince 1989(they recede to the San Francisco 49ers ) , and they ’re this year ’s underdogs .

For masses only peripherally concerned in the event itself , however , their questions might be less about who ’s play and more about why it seems to be happening much after than usual . After all , Super Bowlplans andValentine ’s Dayplans do n’t typically launch the risk of overlapping .

Back in March 2021 , the NFL announced that it wasadding an extra gameto the regular - time of year agenda . Starting that spill , each squad would play 17 games , rather than the traditional 16 . Since squad play once a week — and every squad gets an extra bye week , meaning they do n’t wager that calendar week — the regular time of year went from being 17 weeks long to 18 workweek long . The Super Bowl then had to be transfer a week , too , from the first to the 2nd Sunday in February .

Los Angeles Rams and Cincinnati Bengals helmets set up at the Super Bowl Experience the week before the game.

This is n’t the first sentence the escort for the Super Bowl has changed . Super Bowl Ihappened on January 15 , 1967 , and Januarycontinuedto be the go - to Super Bowl month for the next 34 years . That streak finish in 2002 : The leaguepostponed the games for Week 2after the September 11 attacks , so Super Bowl XXXVI got press from the last weekend in January to the first weekend in February . The 2003 Super Bowl was on January 26 , but the NFL ended up reverting to February in 2004 . Every Super Bowl since then has been in February .

This year ’s Super Bowl will be the a la mode ever played , and it looks like the 2nd - Sunday - in - February convention is here to quell ( at least until the NFL adjudicate to shake up its docket again ) . AsCBS Sports news report , Super Bowl LVII is already set for February 12 , 2023 .