It wasn’t pretty, but it was beautiful. Super Bowl LVI didn’t go the way many of us thought it would, for sure. In several ways, it was an odd game – from the Odell Beckham Jr. injury drastically changing the complexion of the game, the refs not calling a face mask on Tee Higgins that resulted in an explosive touchdown, and Sean McVay, for whatever reason, staying stubbornly committed to the run when it was clear that the Cincinnati Bengals defense was not going to let the ground game get going, Tyler Boyd dropping a critical pass when he hadn’t dropped a pass all season, both stud quarterbacks taking ugly hits and looking like they were injured. There was some weird stuff going on. But, when it came down to it, the Los Angeles Rams defense took over in the second half with its fierce pass rush, and put the offense in a position to march down the field with 6:13 left on the clock.
They chewed up nearly five minutes of the clock, ran 15 plays, and wide receiver Cooper Kupp absolutely took over the game. Matthew Stafford was dealing, and McVay made some gutsy calls. It was the quintessential Rams offense, and they just simply imposed their will on a Bengals defense that had played surprisingly well up until that point. To me, this looked like the classic case of “who wants it more?” The Rams wanted it more.
On 2nd & Goal, Kupp was matched up one on one with Eli Apple, and that’s where Stafford look, throwing the ball where only Kupp could get it, and Kupp wrestled it down for the touchdown to take the lead with just a minute and a half left on the clock.
COOPER KUPP GIVES THE RAMS THE LEAD. WOW.
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) February 14, 2022
(via @NFL)pic.twitter.com/eW2n2El5Cf
I know our gut reaction is to want to rank this game among the other Super Bowls. We’re already talking about where Aaron Donald ranks all time, where McVay ranks all time, etc. I think the weirdness of this game is going to keep it out of the all-time great Super Bowl discussion. But, man – that drive from Kupp, McVay, and Stafford has to go down as one of the greatest and gutsiest in the history of the big game. It was the ultimate gut check time, and when it mattered most, the Rams made a concerted effort to get the ball in the hands of their best players. They simply outmatched the Bengals.
I talk about this game being fluky – at times, it felt like destiny favored the Bengals…as if no matter what the Rams tried, they weren’t going to succeed in this moment. But when you look back at the game, it was only as close as it was because of two miracle plays for the Bengals early in the 3rd quarter – that 75-yard TD that should’ve been flagged, and then Stafford immediately throwing a fluky interception. That’s a 10-point swing. This game could’ve easily ended 23-10. The Bengals, while outmatched across the field, still somehow led up until 1:25 left in the game, and that’s a microcosm of their postseason run. There’s still plenty of reason for optimism in Cincinnati, but they have to overhaul that offensive line and add some quality pieces around Mike Hilton in the secondary. Side note: how much does the rest of the NFL despise Apple? Just search his name on Twitter and enjoy scrolling through the responses.
AARON DONALD ENDS #SuperBowl WITH A MONSTER SACK pic.twitter.com/Qbvs7u20QX
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) February 14, 2022
How poetic is that? The one thing missing from Donald’s trophy case is that Lombardi Trophy. And, when the game came down to it, he was the one blowing past Quinton Spain and disrupting Joe Burrow on 4th & 1, forcing an incompletion and clinching the championship for the Rams. Finally, let’s not lose sight of how ridiculous this no-look throw was from Stafford on that final drive:
— Bert Tortellini (@BertTortellini) February 14, 2022
The last 6+ minutes of Super Bowl LVI were the stuff of football legend. Congrats to the Los Angeles Rams, their fans, and all the folks in Detroit who were rooting for Stafford to get the ring that he deserves. I can’t believe another NFL season is in the books – August can’t get here quick enough!
Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network, and a Dogs Playing Poker on velvet connoisseur. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD, #BeBetter, and ‘Minds right, asses tight.’ “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Nashville, Yankee Candle, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley
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