The End of a Historic Season: Rams beat Bengals 23-20 To Win Super Bowl LVI in True Hollywood Fashion
Photo of Von Miller, the Rams outside linebacker. Photo from Spurs Fan Cave.
Srikar Kalapala & Aayush Iyengar
In a season that included an expanded regular season and the retirement of Tom Brady, the Los Angeles Rams beat the Cincinnati Bengals 23-20 in their home stadium to win their first Super Bowl since 1999. This game featured explosive offense and high-powered defensive efforts by both teams. However, in the end the Rams were the ones hoisting the Lombardi Trophy, capping a truly incredible season with a truly incredible game.
Rams
What a year for the Rams. They started 7-1 on the year but then proceeded to lose three straight games to the Titans, 49ers, and Packers. Many doubted the Rams, as they were in danger of missing the playoffs. But head coach Sean McVay told the fans, “The story isn’t written yet. We’ve got the pen.” What a story they ended up writing.
In efforts to build a superstar filled team, they made midseason moves to bring in Von Miller and Odell Beckham Jr. and went undefeated in the month of December despite dealing with a COVID-19 outbreak. On offense, Matthew Stafford was having a great year, and Cooper Kupp was playing like the best receiver in the league. On defense, cornerback Jalen Ramsey and defensive lineman Aaron Donald were still playing as the best in the league at their respective positions. After their winning streak, and an Arizona Cardinals loss to the Seahawks, the Rams ended up winning their division despite their struggles.
But then in the playoffs, they switched to a different gear as they defeated division rivals Arizona Cardinals and San Francisco 49ers as well as the defending champions Tampa Bay Buccaneers in what proved to be Tom Brady’s last game. Before this season started, the Rams acquired Stafford, and sent a message to the rest of the NFL. They wanted to win the Super Bowl, and they wanted to win it now.
There it was, one game away from their efforts coming to fruition. They were going up against a Cincinnati team filled with fireworks. But they didn’t flinch. After a 3 and out on their first drive, and a 4th and 1 stop by their defense, the Rams offense went to work. On 3rd and 4, Stafford hit superstar receiver Cooper Kupp who ran all the way down to the Bengal 24 yard line. Then, a couple plays later, Stafford found Beckham for the touchdown to give the Rams the 7-0 lead. Then in the 2nd quarter, Stafford found Kupp again for a touchdown to give the Rams a 13-3 lead. Things were looking good for the Rams until the 3rd quarter started. After two disastrous plays in a row, the Bengals took the lead 20-13, and to make matters worse, Stafford injured his ankle and was hobbling around.
But one thing about Matthew Stafford is that he is one tough guy. When he was quarterback of the Detroit Lions, he dislocated his shoulder in a close game, and ended up coming back the next play to score a touchdown. Nothing was going to prevent Stafford from finishing this game and winning it. Down 20-16 with just over 6 minutes to play in the game, Stafford needed one touchdown to win the Super Bowl.
What a drive it was. Stafford hit Kupp several times and with 1:25 left, threw a touchdown to Kupp to give them the lead back. But there was still time in the game, and defense needed to come up big. One of the questions leading into this game was if the Bengals’ offensive line could stop the Rams defensive line from getting to Joe Burrow. At first, it seemed like a stalemate, which was good for the Bengals, however as the game went on, Aaron Donald and the rest of the line went to work, racking up seven sacks. On that final drive, the Bengals started to move the ball, but on a 3rd down, Aaron Donald stuffed a running play to make it 4th down. On 4th and 1, with one play standing between them and glory, it was Donald again who came up big for the Rams, throwing Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow to the ground as he threw, which forced the incompletion. Stafford took one knee, and the Rams hoisted the Lombardi Trophy in a true Hollywood ending.
For the Rams, it was a season filled with ups and downs, but what a way to finish the season on top. There were many veterans on this team looking for a ring, and some that might retire on top. Among these players are Eric Weddle, who came out of retirement to play for the Rams, and another is one of the greatest defensive players of all time, Aaron Donald. General Manager Les Snead must be ecstatic seeing his gambles pay off and his “all in” nature giving his team a Super Bowl Championship. After coming over from the Detroit Lions, Matthew Stafford played his heart out this year, throwing for 41 touchdowns this season, and proved to be the quarterback that the Rams were lacking in years past. Cooper Kupp also had a phenomenal year, winning the triple crown as well as offensive player of the year and Super Bowl MVP.
All in all, the Rams came out of this season as the champions, but as this season comes to a close, all champions must answer the following question. Can they do it again?
Bengals
Prior to the start of the 2021-2022 NFL season, the Cincinnati Bengals were projected to win a measly 6.5 games. They were given a 0.50% shot of winning the Super Bowl by oddsmakers in the previous summer. Forget playing for the Lombardi Trophy; the Bengals were not even expected to make the playoffs, with +400 odds to even be playoff-bound. But looking at the upstart Bengals team, led by Joe “Brrrrr” Burrow and the confidence and fun-loving nature of this team, football fans across the country fell in love with this oft-doubted team from Ohio. Although they didn’t finish the job this year, each and every player left with their head held high, expecting to return to this stage in the future, and rightfully so.
The doubt surrounding this Bengals team was not unjustified in the least. Two years ago, the Bengals finished with a 2-14 record, last in the entire NFL. However, that set the stage for the drafting of Joe Burrow, who had just finished one of the greatest statistical seasons of any collegiate quarterback, at LSU. In 2020, the team finished with a 4-11-1 record, following a season-ending knee injury for Burrow. But once again, the team bolstered its roster in the offseason. This time they drafted Burrow’s teammate from college, receiver Ja’Marr Chase, and kicker Evan McPherson, now famous for the “ice in his veins,” with 5 game-winning kicks as a rookie.
The Bengal’s road to the Super Bowl wasn’t easy by any means. Five out of their first eight games were on the road, many against past playoff teams, in the Packers’, Steelers’, and the Vikings’ territory. Their first major test came against the division leading Baltimore Ravens, and their dynamic quarterback Lamar Jackson. 60 minutes later, the Bengals walked out victorious, with a 41-17 drubbing of the Ravens. And this momentum carried through the rest of the season, ultimately culminating with the team’s first division title since 2015 and the 4th seed in the AFC playoffs.
The playoffs were where the Bengals made their mark as a gritty and dangerous team to play against. Beginning with their first round matchup against the Oakland Raiders, the game ultimately came down to one play late in the fourth quarter. The defense did not give in, however, placing immense pressure on Raiders quarterback Derek Carr and giving the Bengals the win.
Next came the Tennessee Titans, the team that finished with the top seed in the AFC. The Titans coming off their bye were gifted with the return of receiver Julio Jones, and All-Pro running back Derrick Henry. It didn’t matter though as the defense stepped up once again, intercepting Titans’ quarterback Ryan Tannehill set up for a McPherson game-winning kick.
The final test was the biggest one, in the shape of an away matchup against the daunting Kansas City Chiefs. These teams had met before earlier in the regular season, combining for 65 points and a historic 266 yards and 3 touchdown game for Ja’Marr Chase. The fireworks in this game were no less bright. No player on either team was able to individually take over the game and eventually both teams entered an overtime period knotted at a score of 24-24. But as it had done throughout the playoffs and the regular season, the defense made a huge play, intercepting All-Pro quarterback Patrick Mahomes to once again set up McPherson for a game winning kick. Three points later, Cincinnati had returned to the Big Game, for the first time in 33 years.
Although many people will not consider this season as a true success with their loss to the Rams, it was the spring that the Bengals used to vault themselves into the class of elite teams in the National Football Teams. Three players, running back Joe Mixon, receiver Ja’Marr Chase, and defensive end Trey Hendrickson were all recognized for their efforts, being named Pro Bowlers. And arguably the Bengals most important player, Mr. Cool himself–Joe Burrow, proved to the entire football world that his college success was no fluke, and that he could lead his team to success on the National Stage.
Who knows, with the future outlook of this team, and the growing talent, maybe next year instead of talking about winning their division, we will talk about the Bengals as the winners of the Super Bowl.
