Photo: Special to the NY Beacon
The last time the Rams won a Super Bowl they played in St. Louis. It wasn’t easy as the Bengals were impressive and ready for the fight. Both teams had injuries and early mistakes, which changed the course of the game, but after falling behind the Rams were clutch at critical moments with spectacular performances by defensive tackle Aaron Donald and offensively by wide receiver Cooper Kupp and Stafford’s leadership.
“That’s why they’re world champs,” said Rams head coach Sean McVay after the game. “Our best players stepped up in the most crucial and critical moments. You end up losing some guys and guys were asked to step up.”
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Stafford overcame interceptions and was clutch when it counted. Stafford, the number one overall pick in the 2009 NFL Draft was selected by the Detroit Lions and traded to the Rams in January 2021. The move created the perfect situation for him to thrive. The Super Bowl achievement would not have been possible without coaches and his teammates.
“It was so many great plays by so many great players,” Stafford said. “Just so happy to get it done and, I don’t know- it, it’s, I’m speechless.”
Kupp won the Most Valuable Player award for his performance. He had 8 catches for 92-yards and two touchdowns and the game-winning reception. Odell Beckham Jr added offensive help with two receptions for 52-yards and one touchdown before leaving the game with a non-contact knee injury.
Donald could have shared the MVP award with Kupp. He recorded 2 quarterback sacks, in addition to three tackles and one assist. Outside linebacker Von Miller added two sacks. Linebacker Ernest Jones led the defense with six tackles. He also had one quarterback sack.
Los Angeles received the ball first and were stopped quickly by Cincinnati, with the help of an early quarterback sack by Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson. The Bengals were unable to their first the down not punting at 4th & 1, they decided to run for the first down and came up short.
Stafford connected with Odell Beckham, Jr. who scored the first touchdown of the game with 6:22 minutes remaining in the first quarter. The Bengals were unable to score a touchdown, but rookie kicker Evan McPherson stayed perfect in the postseason kicking a 29-yard field goal, as Bengals trailed 7-3 at the end of the first quarter.
Stafford pushed forward with successful passes to Beckham and running back Darrell Henderson as he moved ahead in the second quarter. A completed touchdown pass to Kupp added six points, but the Rams missed the extra point with an unsuccessful placement of the ball during the snap.
Things started to looked bleak for the Rams. The Bengals responded with an unexpected touchdown pass, when Burrow sent a backwards shovel pass to running back Joe Mixon who threw to wide receiver Tee Higgins in the back of the end zone. Prior to that, Beckham twisted his knee running while trying to catch a pass. He did not return to the game.
The Rams were ahead only by three points at halftime. The Bengals returned and immediately scored with a touchdown pass from Burrow to Higgins. The Bengals last points were a field goal from McPherson in the third quarter as Donald tackled Burrow before he could pass and Rams defense stepped up coverage. Bengals also intensified their coverage. Rams managed a field goal by Gay before the end of the third quarter. Defense continued to increase and flags were thrown and fouls called, but Stafford managed a completed touchdown pass to Kupp with 1:25 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter to bring the score to 23-20. Donald and defense prevented the Bengals from scoring again.
Stafford completed 26 of 40 passes for 283-yards. He threw three touchdowns and two interceptions. 25-year-old quarterback Joe Burrow was also competitive as he completed 22 of 33 passes for 263-yards. He threw one touchdown and zero interceptions.
“We put a lot of work into going out there and executing and performing well and it didn’t turn out the way we wanted,” Burrow said. “We’re a young team. You like to think that we’ll be back in this situation multiple times over the course of the next few years.”
The moment was especially important for safety Eric Weddle who came out of retirement and rejoined the Rams in January. “A fiction fairytale that you only wish your name would be a part of it and lucky me. I’m a world champ now,” he said afterwards.
“I just can’t say enough about how much I love this group,” said McVay.
The Bengals and Rams both have much to look forward to in years ahead.
