INGLEWOOD—Trailing 20-16 late in the fourth quarter of Super Bowl LVI at SoFi Stadium on Sunday, February 13, the Los Angeles Rams made a comeback. The team drove 79 yards down the field culminating in the 1-yard TD reception by wide receiver Cooper Kupp with just 1 minute and 25 seconds left in the game. The Rams defeated the Cincinnati Bengals, 23-20. This marks the Rams second Super Bowl, and their first as the Los Angeles Rams.
Kupp was named Super Bowl MVP, hauling in eight catches for 92 yards and two TD receptions. Barely edging out Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald, who was spectacular with two key sacks. Donald is the greatest defensive player of this generation; as the Rams began celebrating their impending victory Donald made a grand gesture tapping on his ring finger, signaling the final memento of a shiny Super Bowl ring.
Redemption and legacy have been the two themes of the Rams, General Manager Les Snead. He took several gambles along the way, including trading away several draft picks for veterans like Stafford and picking up linebacker Von Miller and wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr.
After jumping out to a 13-3 lead the Rams found themselves down 17-13 after a 75-yard touchdown throw from Joe Burrow to Tee Higgins. The controversial play appeared to show Higgins face mask and throw Jalen Ramsey to the ground. No penalty was called on the play.
“I can’t say enough about the resilience of this team,” coach Sean McVay said. “Guys stepping up when they had to … That’s why we’re world champs, because our best players stepped up in the most crucial and critical moments.” At just 36 years old, McVay becomes the youngest head coach in NFL history to win a Super Bowl.
The final drive of the Rams season was a microcosm of their obsessive desire to hoist the Lombardi trophy. Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford engineered a 15-play drive chewing up nearly 5 minutes off the clock giving the team the lead. Kupp was magnificent on the Rams final drive of the season sealing the victory and his own personal MVP legacy.
The Rams got on the board first with a Stafford TD strike to Odell Beckham Jr. for the first score of the game. OBJ injured his knee on a play later in the first half and would not return to the game.
As for the Rams defense, it was relentless. Burrow was under pressure all night. The second-year superstar was sacked a record seven times, shutting the Bengals out in the fourth quarter.
Congratulations to the Rams on a hard-earned victory. After the game, the streets of Prairie and Century Boulevard erupted in celebration with the crowd outside of So-Fi Stadium.
