Sports writer Zach Sabel discusses the last minute comeback win during the Super Bowl
The 56th running of the NFL’s Super Bowl promised to give us a great game, and it did not disappoint. It was also a Super Bowl that would make history. For the first time since 1975, when seeding was introduced, we got a Super Bowl not featuring at least a top three seeded team, with both LA and Cincinnati being fourth seeds in their respective conferences. First, let’s see how both teams got here.
The LA Rams finished 12-5 under their head coach Sean McVay and new veteran quarterback Matthew Stafford. This acquisition of Stafford and the draft picks given up to get him to show the desperate “win now” mentality the Rams had going into the season. Stafford, for his part, had not won a playoff game going into this year in his prior 11 years with the Detroit Lions, and at his age, it also felt like sort of a must-win season for the 34-year-old QB. To reach the biggest game in American Football, the Rams had to beat the Arizona Cardinals, the San Francisco 49’ers and the defending Super Bowl champs Tampa Bay.
For the Cincinnati Bengals, this was a magical season. Under their second-year star QB Joe Burrow, the Bengals made it to the playoffs with a 10-6 record. In the playoffs, Burrow was able to lead the Bengals to their first playoff win since 1990, ending one of the longest active streaks in major American sports. To make it to the Super Bowl they beat the Las Vegas Raiders, the Tennessee Titans and the Kansas City Chiefs.
This was not a high scoring in-your-face Super Bowl, but one in which the defense would play a major role. Both teams were stuffed early by the opponent’s defense, with LA breaking the tie in the first quarter on a 17-yard pass from Stafford to Odell Beckham Jr. The next score would come a few drives later as Cincinnati marched down the field to the Rams 11-yard line, but were forced to settle for a field goal. LA would answer next in the second quarter with a touchdown pass to Cooper Kupp. They would miss the extra point giving them only a ten-point lead. The Bengals would respond quickly, scoring on the next drive and bringing the game to within three points. Neither team would do much before the end of the half with both teams getting stalled by the tough defense. One big thing that happened near the end of this quarter would be Odell Beckham Jr going down with an apparent non-contact injury. He had to leave the game and he wouldn’t return. This injury would put a lot of focus on Cooper Kupp, leaving him as the only top tier receiver for the Rams.
The first offensive play of the second half would lead to the first lead change, but not without controversy, with Joe Burrow’s pass to Tee Higgins good for an uncontested 75-yard touchdown. Upon further replay, it was obvious that Higgins had a hold of his defender, Jalen Ramsey’s, mask before getting free of him, but the call was missed and the Bengals now held a four point lead. On the Rams next drive, Stafford threw an interception which eventually led to the Bengals extending their lead to seven points with a field goal. The Rams would then go on to cut the lead back down to four with a 44-yard field goal. Neither team would score another point in the third quarter as each side’s defense showed its grit.
The fourth quarter would display a lot of this grinding football, fighting for short yards, with the Bengals’ run game being strong, while the Rams seemingly could not get anything going from the ground, forcing them to rely on their only real option at this point, Cooper Kupp. Near the end of the game with the Bengals still leading by four, the Rams converted a fourth-and-1 off of a rushing play from their star receiver, Kupp. They then reached the Bengals red zone off of a series of passes to Kupp. A holding play would give the Rams life and a pass interference call on the defense would bring the Rams to the one-yard line. The Rams then took the lead off of a Kupp touchdown reception going up 23-20 with under two minutes to play. The Bengals seemingly had one last drive to win the game and get the chance to bring the Lombardi trophy back to Cincinnati. They quickly charged to midfield off of two big passes from Burrows, they would then be held to a fourth and one by the dominant Rams defensive line. Up to this point the Bengals’ run game had been very solid and worked well for them, but rather than relying on this strength they opted to pass the ball, with the great pressure put on by Aaron Donald and company. The pass was incomplete, thus forcing a turnover on downs.
The Rams would go on to run down the clock, giving the city a Super Bowl win in front of their home crowd and finally capping off a legendary career for Matthew Stafford who gives the city of Dallas and North Texas the closest thing it will probably ever get to another Super Bowl trophy. Cooper Kupp would be named the MVP for his late game heroics being the only real option for the Rams for much of the game. While Joe Burrows and the Bengals were not able to get the final victory they so desired, they showed a lot of heart on the field and I definitely see a contender in the Bengals side for at least the next 10 years if Burrows remains the dominant force he has shown himself to be.
The 56th running of the NFL’s Super Bowl promised to give us a great game, and it did not disappoint. It was also a Super Bowl that would make history. For the first time since 1975, when seeding was introduced, we got a Super Bowl not featuring at least a top three seeded team, with both LA and Cincinnati being fourth seeds in their respective conferences. First, let’s see how both teams got here.
The LA Rams finished 12-5 under their head coach Sean McVay and new veteran quarterback Matthew Stafford. This acquisition of Stafford and the draft picks given up to get him to show the desperate “win now” mentality the Rams had going into the season. Stafford, for his part, had not won a playoff game going into this year in his prior 11 years with the Detroit Lions, and at his age, it also felt like sort of a must-win season for the 34-year-old QB. To reach the biggest game in American Football, the Rams had to beat the Arizona Cardinals, the San Francisco 49’ers and the defending Super Bowl champs Tampa Bay.
For the Cincinnati Bengals, this was a magical season. Under their second-year star QB Joe Burrow, the Bengals made it to the playoffs with a 10-6 record. In the playoffs, Burrow was able to lead the Bengals to their first playoff win since 1990, ending one of the longest active streaks in major American sports. To make it to the Super Bowl they beat the Las Vegas Raiders, the Tennessee Titans and the Kansas City Chiefs.
This was not a high scoring in-your-face Super Bowl, but one in which the defense would play a major role. Both teams were stuffed early by the opponent’s defense, with LA breaking the tie in the first quarter on a 17-yard pass from Stafford to Odell Beckham Jr. The next score would come a few drives later as Cincinnati marched down the field to the Rams 11-yard line, but were forced to settle for a field goal. LA would answer next in the second quarter with a touchdown pass to Cooper Kupp. They would miss the extra point giving them only a ten-point lead. The Bengals would respond quickly, scoring on the next drive and bringing the game to within three points. Neither team would do much before the end of the half with both teams getting stalled by the tough defense. One big thing that happened near the end of this quarter would be Odell Beckham Jr going down with an apparent non-contact injury. He had to leave the game and he wouldn’t return. This injury would put a lot of focus on Cooper Kupp, leaving him as the only top tier receiver for the Rams.
The first offensive play of the second half would lead to the first lead change, but not without controversy, with Joe Burrow’s pass to Tee Higgins good for an uncontested 75-yard touchdown. Upon further replay, it was obvious that Higgins had a hold of his defender, Jalen Ramsey’s, mask before getting free of him, but the call was missed and the Bengals now held a four point lead. On the Rams next drive, Stafford threw an interception which eventually led to the Bengals extending their lead to seven points with a field goal. The Rams would then go on to cut the lead back down to four with a 44-yard field goal. Neither team would score another point in the third quarter as each side’s defense showed its grit.
The fourth quarter would display a lot of this grinding football, fighting for short yards, with the Bengals’ run game being strong, while the Rams seemingly could not get anything going from the ground, forcing them to rely on their only real option at this point, Cooper Kupp. Near the end of the game with the Bengals still leading by four, the Rams converted a fourth-and-1 off of a rushing play from their star receiver, Kupp. They then reached the Bengals red zone off of a series of passes to Kupp. A holding play would give the Rams life and a pass interference call on the defense would bring the Rams to the one-yard line. The Rams then took the lead off of a Kupp touchdown reception going up 23-20 with under two minutes to play. The Bengals seemingly had one last drive to win the game and get the chance to bring the Lombardi trophy back to Cincinnati. They quickly charged to midfield off of two big passes from Burrows, they would then be held to a fourth and one by the dominant Rams defensive line. Up to this point the Bengals’ run game had been very solid and worked well for them, but rather than relying on this strength they opted to pass the ball, with the great pressure put on by Aaron Donald and company. The pass was incomplete, thus forcing a turnover on downs.
The Rams would go on to run down the clock, giving the city a Super Bowl win in front of their home crowd and finally capping off a legendary career for Matthew Stafford who gives the city of Dallas and North Texas the closest thing it will probably ever get to another Super Bowl trophy. Cooper Kupp would be named the MVP for his late game heroics being the only real option for the Rams for much of the game. While Joe Burrows and the Bengals were not able to get the final victory they so desired, they showed a lot of heart on the field and I definitely see a contender in the Bengals side for at least the next 10 years if Burrows remains the dominant force he has shown himself to be.
