Super Bowl LVI was one of the best Super Bowls in recent playoff history. On one side there was the young core in Cincinnati, led by Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase, Joe Mixon, and others. On the other side for the Rams, there were proven veterans like Matt Stafford, Aaron Donald, and Odell Beckham Jr. trying to attain that elusive ring to cement their careers. Here is a recap of the Super Bowl LVI.
The game began with both teams failing to gain any momentum on their first drives, but the Rams struck first. The Rams drove down to the red zone where Stafford tossed a 17-yard pass to Odell Beckham Jr. in the end zone for the game’s first touchdown. The Bengals scored a field goal later in the quarter. The drive was sparked by a 46-yard completion from Burrow to Ja’Marr Chase down the sideline. But the Rams answered right back with two big completions to Beckham Jr. and Darrel Henderson Jr. The drive was capped off with a touchdown to Cooper Kupp to give the Rams a 13-3 lead in the second quarter. The poise of Joe Burrow was on full display as he also led the Bengals on a long drive to send cut the lead 13-10 going into the half. Odell Beckham Jr. also exited the game in the second quarter after he suffered a non-contact injury to his left knee.
On the first play of the second half, Burrow connected with Tee Higgins on a 75-yard bomb for a touchdown, even though it did look like Higgins should’ve been called for offensive pass interference. On the very next possession, Matt Stafford threw an interception and it seemed like the tide was going to completely shift in the Bengal’s favor. Fortunately for the Rams, Cincinnati couldn’t capitalize on the turnover and score a touchdown, but they did convert a field goal. The Rams were able to pull themselves together and get a field goal to make the game 16-20.
Around this time is also when the Rams and Aaron Donald were awakened. After a little scuffle between the Bengals offensive line and Donald, after he shoved Burrow out of bounds, the 3x DPOY asserted his will onto the game. Both teams went seven consecutive drives that ended in punts, and the defensive lines were the biggest reasons for that. For the Bengals, they only sacked Stafford once, but their pressure forced him into a lot of uncomfortable situations. They also completely shut down any chance of running the ball. For the Rams, they got creative and confused the Bengals O-line with stunts and blitzes to put pressure on Burrow. In the second half alone, they sacked Burrow six times.
Late in the fourth quarter, Matt Stafford and Cooper Kupp decided to put an end to the stalemate. On the final drive, they connected five times to help the Rams drive down the field. They connected for a back-shoulder fade in the end zone to give themselves a 23-20 lead. As the Bengals looked to put together a game-winning drive. They made a couple of big plays to gain some big gains, but it came to a pivotal 3rd down. Aaron Donald made a huge stop to halt Perine in his tracks and forced a 4th and 1 where he then pressured Burrow into throwing an arid pass that consequently ended the game. The Rams took the win in their home stadium in a storybook ending.
The Rams pushed all of their chips into the center of the table with the acquisitions of Ramsey, Beckham Jr., Miller, and Stafford. Rams head coach also becomes the youngest coach to ever win a Super Bowl, at the young age of 36. Cooper Kupp’s eight receptions for 92 yards and two touchdowns won him the Super Bowl MVP to cap off arguably the greatest season we’ve ever seen from a Wideout. The future of some of the Rams anchors on offense like Andrew Whitworth and defense in Aaron Donald is in question with them possibly considering retirement.
Congratulations to the Los Angeles Rams on winning Super Bowl LVI.