LA Rams Beat the Bengals 23-20, Win the Super Bowl LVI

The LA Rams won their second Super Bowl title in the franchise history, after defeating the Cincinnati Bengals tonight, 23-20. The Super Bowl LVI saw the Rams making a huge comeback in the fourth period and scoring a go-ahead TD with 85 seconds before the end.

Cooper Kupp was once again the main man, with the receiving triple-crown winner and the Offensive Player of the Year delivering a one-yard TD reception with 1:25 to go. Kupp won the Super Bowl LVI MVP honors as well, being the only player in history to collect all these awards in one season.

“I’ve said it all year, whatever is asked of me, whatever my job is gonna be, I just want to execute to the best of my abilities,” he stated following the match.

Though the game-decider was Aaron Donald’s sack on Joe Burrow in the Bengals’ final offensive possession, once he managed to find some space and crush Cinci’s hopes. Donald and the defense were the reason for the Rams’ comeback, as they stepped up in the moments when Matt Stafford couldn’t provide any solutions on the offensive side.

The team from LA opened the game better, with Odel Beckham Jr. dominating the field. Quickly enough, the “hosts” (because the game took place at the SoFi Stadium) managed to take a 10-point lead, 13-3. Yet, that is when the Bengals started waking up, and combined with OBJ’s knee injury, it caused a massive fall in the Rams’ pace. Tee Higgins caught two TD’s, and after Evan McPherson’s 38-yard FG, the Bengals were up 20-13.

Donald, Von Miller, and the rest of the Rams’ defenders showed their greatness over the next 20 minutes, preventing the rivals from scoring while also boosting the morale of their QB. They caught Joe Burrow seven times in this event, for 43 negative yards, unleashing massive beating on the Bengals’ young QB.

The defense gave Matt Stafford some time to regroup and catch his breath, which eventually happened. Stafford ended the game with 283 passing yards, three TD passes, and two picks. The SB MVP, Kupp, racked 92 yards and two TD receptions, while OBJ had 52 yards one catch for score.

On the other side, Burrow threw for 263 yards and one TD, while the Bengals’ second score was delivered by Joe Mixon, who found Higgins for a six-yard TD. Mixon ran 15 times for 72 yards, Ja’Marr Chase had five catches for 89, and Higgins reached 100 receiving yards in four receptions, two of them for TD.

“I was disappointed in my performance overall,” said Burrow. “That’s going to propel us into next year … we’re not satisfied with what we did this year.”

Burrow suffered an injury of his already vulnerable knee, but following the game, the young QB stated that he feels OK, and that for the moment, there aren’t any concerns on that. He won the NFL Comeback Player of the Year award this season, following his magnificent rise after a tough knee injury that abruptly ended his rookie season.

His Bengals lost their third Super Bowl in franchise history, again from one NFC West rival. The previous two defeats were against the San Francisco 49ers. Meanwhile, the Rams won the Vince Lombardi trophy after 1999, when they were still located in Saint Louis.

Also, they became the second team in history to win the Super Bowl at home, with the last year’s champions, the Buccaneers, being the first one to do that.