INGLEWOOD, Calif. — The Rams were assembled for this to happen now, not later.

The Bengals hoped they might get here later. Who could have expected it to be now?

Teams rarely get to the Super Bowl on schedule, as the best-laid plans often become the worst-realized failures.

Roster machinations, possible team-chemistry turbulence, future salary-cap ramifications be damned, it all increases the urgency that the Rams made a run this season. That they are in Super Bowl LVI was certainly not a foregone conclusion, but it is proof that sometimes living for today and not obsessing about tomorrow can be healthy for a franchise.

The Bengals are one year removed from a four-win season and were 2-14 just two seasons ago. Building around gifted young quarterback Joe Burrow offered promise of better things to come. That they are Super Bowl LVI fuels the aspirations of the legion of losing teams and frustrated fan bases that find it difficult to see such an illuminating light through such a seemingly dark tunnel.

It was not supposed to be the Bengals coming out of the AFC, but they upset the No. 1 seed Titans in Nashville and outlasted Patrick Mahomes and the favored Chiefs in Kansas City. The last time the Bengals made it this far was 34 years ago, more than a decade before Burrow, their cool and calm quarterback, was born.

The Rams played in and lost a Super Bowl three years ago, and they reloaded to get through this gauntlet, which took them to Tampa and necessitated beating Tom Brady and defending-champion Buccaneers, sending Brady off into retirement. A week later, it was a tense 20-17 victory over their arch nemeses, the 49ers, catapulting Lions refugee Matthew Stafford and Giants castoff Odell Beckham Jr., among others, into their first Super Bowl.

“I’m just happy that I’m in position to play for a Super Bowl, and I just hope that I can give one last-ditch effort to bring home that trophy,” Beckham said.

The Rams will feel at home, playing at their magnificent and new SoFi Stadium, and it could be a pressure cooker in more ways than one. The National Weather Service has issued an excessive heat watch, with a temperature forecast of 87 degrees at kickoff, which would make it the hottest Super Bowl ever. The field is covered, but this is an open-air stadium and it will be toasty.

This is the first time in Super Bowl history both teams are No. 4 seeds, but this unquestionably has the feel of a squad that expected to be here (Rams) versus a group that surprised everyone, including themselves, to get here (Bengals).

The two quarterbacks are former No. 1-overall draft picks, separated by 10 years. Burrow, 25, finished up his second NFL season and is looking to join Ben Roethlisberger (23), Mahomes (24) and Tom Brady (24) among the youngest quarterbacks to win a Super Bowl. Burrow came back from reconstructive knee surgery to set Cincinnati franchise single-season records for passing yards (4,616), touchdowns (34) and passer rating (108.3). He was first in the league in completion percentage (70.4) and has earned several nicknames: Joe Cool, Joey Franchise and Joe Brr (for his icy jewelry, such as the “JB9” diamond chain he sported after beating the Chiefs in the AFC Championship game).

Stafford turned 34 last Monday and could star in a movie entitled “Escape from Detroit.’’ His 12 seasons with the Lions produced 282 touchdown passes, 144 interceptions, a regular-season record of 74-90-1 and zero playoff wins in three appearances. The Rams gave former quarterback Jared Goff a contract worth $130 million, but they scored just three points in losing to the Patriots in Super Bowl LIII following the 2018 season and believed they could not get where they wanted to go with him. In a blockbuster trade, the Rams dealt Goff, two first-round draft picks and a third-round pick to the Lions for Stafford.

So far, so good. Stafford turned back the clock and set career highs in completion percentage (67.2) and passing touchdowns (41) this season. One more victory and Stafford will have attained exactly what he came out west to accomplish.

Stafford was the linchpin of a concerted effort by the Rams to play and plan for today. They shipped draft picks around the league to acquire pass rusher Von Miller and running back Sony Michel. They also signed Beckham after the former Giants first-round pick worked his way out of Cleveland. Those additions, plus the trade in 2019 for cornerback Jalen Ramsey, mean the Rams will not have a first-round pick from 2017-23.

It will all be worth it for the Rams if they cash in on Sunday. They are where they were built to be: Standing in their way are the Bengals, the team that got here quite unexpectedly.

Deadly duel: You take a guy with the No. 5-overall pick and you expect him to contribute. Yeah, Ja’Marr Chase contributed as a rookie, to the tune of 81 receptions for a franchise-record 1,455 yards and 13 touchdowns. Of all NFL receivers with at least 500 receiving yards this season, Chase’s average of 18.0 yards per catch was second only to the 18.2 of the 49ers’ Deebo Samuel. Chase will see plenty of CB Jalen Ramsey, a three-time All-Pro and five-time Pro Bowler. Ramsey’s physical style often overwhelms opposing receivers, and he has the experience factor on Chase, who has been good (20 receptions for 279 yards and one TD), but not game-breaking in his three playoff games.

Patience pays off: The last time the Rams were in a Super Bowl, their quarterback was Jared Goff and their quarterbacks coach was Zac Taylor. At age 35, Taylor was the surprise hire by the Bengals as their head coach, and he went 2-14 and 4-11-1 in his first two years. Joe Judge, hired by the Giants at age 38, went 10-23 in his first two seasons and was fired. The Bengals stuck with Taylor and are reaping the rewards. Taylor directed one of the greatest turnarounds in NFL history, going from 14 losses one season to the Super Bowl in three years.

This Kupp runneth over: The smart money is on one of the two starting quarterbacks to win the Most Valuable Player award, as quarterbacks have won it 31 times in 55 Super Bowls. There have been seven wide receivers to take home MVP honors — most recently Julian Edelman three years ago. This year’s game features Cooper Kupp, a definite contender. Kupp’s 145 receptions and 1,947 yards both rank second all-time for a single season (yes, there was a 17th game in 2021). His complete comeback from ACL surgery is remarkable, and if his combined totals in the past two playoff games — 20 receptions for 325 yards and three TDs — are any indication, Kupp is surging to the finish.

Home job: Before last year, no team had ever played and won the Super Bowl in its home building. The Buccaneers did it in Super Bowl LV at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, and the Rams will attempt to duplicate that feat at SoFi Stadium. It figures to be a partisan-Rams crowd, given the distance from Inglewood to Cincinnati and the fact the Bengals are not exactly a national brand.

Unlike the Bucs, though, the Rams are the designated visiting team — the Super Bowl home team alternates each year between the NFC and AFC. But they won’t have to use the visiting locker rooms. SoFi has home locker rooms for both the Rams and Chargers. The Bengals will use the Chargers’ locker room, so the Rams will be able to use their normal home locker room.