“This is one, that it either looks great or you look like a complete idiot if you call it”, said NBC announcer Cris Collinsworth when describing a play during the National Football League (NFL) Super Bowl.
Collinsworth was detailing a fourth and one yard play completed by wide receiver Cooper Kupp of the Los Angeles Rams with five minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. He ended up getting the first down on the play to keep the Rams drive alive. Kupp not only saved the season on that play, but he ultimately led the team down the field to score the go ahead and game winning touchdown. In Super Bowl 56, between the Rams and the Cincinnati Bengals, the Rams came out on top 23-20 as Kupp won the Super Bowl MVP with 92 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
The Rams did not always have the lead. However, they firmly held control early in the game. After punting on their first drive, the Rams forced the Bengals to turn the ball over on downs in their first possession. Four minutes later, the Rams were on the board with a touchdown pass from quarterback Matthew Stafford to wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. The Rams would score another touchdown in the first quarter, while the Bengals struggled to get their offense going and had just a field goal by the end of the quarter. However, as the Bengals entered the second quarter, they went down the field and scored a touchdown on a trick play. The Rams countered with a strong drive that ultimately ended in an interception. Although the interception was bad, the real issue came when Beckham Jr. was injured during the drive. This injury would lead to many future issues for the Rams. After this, both teams did not score for the rest of the half as the Rams led 13-10.
“We are in a great place, let’s go win the Super Bowl”, said Bengals Head Coach Zac Taylor to his team during half time.
The team appeared to take this message well, as Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow completed a 75-yard passing touchdown to wide receiver Tee Higgins on the first play of the second half. Although there appeared to be a penalty during the play, the refs let the play continue and rewarded the Bengals the touchdown. The atmosphere was beginning to change. Stafford came out onto the field to respond to the big touchdown and ended up throwing an interception on the first play. The interception though, was not his fault. Rams’ wide receiver Ben Skowronek bobbled a pass to him that ultimately fell to Bengals’ cornerback Chidobe Awuzie. This is where Beckham Jr. was sorely missed as Skowronek was in that position due to the injury. All of a sudden, the Bengals were in control. However, Rams defensive lineman Aaron Donald quickly shut that momentum down with two big sacks.
Donald is one of the best players, if not the best player in the NFL. He was relatively quiet in the first half as the Bengals offensive line were doing a very good job at double teaming him and making sure he was not able to get to Burrow. Donald’s two sacks following the interception made sure the Bengals did not run away with the game. The Rams kicked a field goal on the following drive, but then came two defenses that would not let anyone do anything. For the next 15 minutes, the two teams combined for seven punts. The Bengals and the Rams had strong pass rush and very good run defense. Neither team had over one hundred rushing yards in the game. The Rams rushed for just 1.9 yards per play and had only 47 rushing yards in total. Additionally, without Beckham Jr., the Rams’ passing attack was limited as the Bengals just double covered Kupp for nearly every possession. The Bengals did not fare much better as they also could not run the ball. Rams defensive end A’Shawn Robinson was key in shutting down the Bengals run game. He had five tackles, a sack and a tackle for a loss in the game.
After the Bengals punted with just over six minutes remaining, they had to make something happen. The Bengals defense had cut off their run game and their pass game. So, in the clutch moment, the Rams superstars took over. Stafford and Kupp were the clear heroes of the drive as they consistently connected for chunk plays. This includes the fourth and one yard run from Kupp. As the Rams approached the goal line, the Bengals attempted to get more aggressive. This aggression led to a controversial holding penalty on the Bengals that gifted the Rams a first down they desperately needed. A few plays later, the Bengals were called on a pass interference call that put the Rams on the one-yard line. These penalties appeared to be correct, however there was a lack of consistency based on earlier in the game, where no penalties were being called.
“I thought it was a really well-officiated game”, said Taylor when asked about the refs during the Super Bowl. In a postgame interview, “They wasn’t throwin’ flags the whole game. They shoulda let it play out”, said wide receiver Tyler Boyd, as he was not pleased with the ending.
The penalties allowed the Rams to score a go-ahead touchdown with one minute and 29 seconds remaining in the game. Even though the touchdown was surely deflating for the Bengals, the team showed faith in second year quarterback Burrow. He had to atleast get his team into field goal range to push the game to overtime. The Bengals started out strong with two completed passes for a combined 26 yards. Then the Rams superstars stepped up once again. On third and one, Donald came off a block and grabbed Bengals running back Samaje Perine and pulled him back by himself to stop the run. This put the game on the line with a fourth and one. Donald once again stepped up and secured the win with a pressure that forced Burrow to make a poor throw and end the game. The Rams were Super Bowl champions.
This game was filled with superstars. The Rams had Stafford and Kupp show why they are one of the best wide receiver quarterback duos in the entire league with the go-ahead touchdown drive. Stafford ended the game with 283 passing yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions. On defense, the Rams were led by Miller and Donald as they both had two sacks and two tackles for a loss in the game. The constant pressure from the Rams defensive line made sure that Burrow had no time to throw the ball. Cincinnati may have lost the game, but their defense played well for most of the game. Bengals’ linebacker Logan Wilson had three tackles for a loss and defensive end Sam Hubbard added two of his own. These two heavily contributed to the lack of run game from the Rams. On offense, Higgins led the team in receiving yards with 100 and receiving touchdowns with two. Rookie receiver Ja’Marr Chase had five catches for 89 yards. Burrow had 263 passing yards and one touchdown.
“Obviously it stings, but you know we had a great year. Didn’t come out this last game like we wanted it to but, I think we still have something to celebrate”, said Burrow during a post-game interview.
The Bengals players were obviously hurting, but Burrow puts it in the best perspective for the future of the team. This team is full of young talent and will definitely be back sooner rather than later. On the winning side, the Rams played an all-around great game. They played just well enough on offense to take the lead, and the defense helped limit Burrow and their dynamic offense to just 20 points. Although the Rams played far from perfectly, their superstars made sure that the team got the win they so desired.
“I dreamed it. We made a play and won and that’s all that matters…” screamed Donald as he cried in an interview following the win. “It’s the best feeling in the world.”
