Stars dominate in Rams Super Bowl victory

Super Bowl MVP Cooper Kupp makes the game winning touchdown catch with two minutes to play in the fourth quarter.

Super Bowl MVP Cooper Kupp makes the game winning touchdown catch with two minutes to play in the fourth quarter.

The Los Angeles Rams are the Super Bowl LVI champions for the first time in 22 years. The last time they won was in Jan. of 2000 against the Tennessee Titans. Last Sunday, Feb. 13th, was the second time the Rams won a Lombardi trophy in franchise history. They won 23-20 against the Cincinnati Bengals. 

It was a tight knit game with the Rams starting off strong and the Bengals following in lead with a slower start. By the end of the 1st quarter, the score was 7-3 with the Rams leading. At the beginning of the 2nd quarter,  the Rams got another touchdown making it 13-3. After this point, the Rams started to fall back allowing the Bengals to take the lead. By the end of the 2nd quarter, it was 13-10 leading to 20-13 by the third 3rd quarter. Finally, the Rams got caught up by the end of the 4th quarter. They scored another touchdown near the end of the game allowing them to take the win. 

A few of the key players and team members that contributed to the match include, Odell Beckham Jr., Aaron Donald, Sean McVay, and Joe Burrow. 

Odell Beckham Jr. scored the first touchdown in Super Bowl LVI. Unfortunately, not long after during the 2nd quarter OBJ went down after dropping a catch. He was wide open when he dropped the pass and his left knee buckled. He immediately dropped to the ground gripping his left knee. Due to this, he never went back into the game and was ruled out for the rest of the Super Bowl. 

Aaron Donald, one of the most dominant defensive lineman in NFL history, made the biggest play of the game. On a fourth and one, game on the line, Bengals quarterback, Joe Burrow, decided to go for a pass. He was looking for a receiver, but instead all he saw was Aaron Donald coming at him in full speed to sack him. This play made the game final. 

Contrary to the Rams, the Bengals offensive line performed poorly. The Rams defensive line were able to get to Burrow on almost every play. The Bengals offensive line ranked 30th this season, whereas the Rams defensive line was ranked at 4th. The difference in ranking between the two teams was apparent during the game. 

Sean McVay, the head coach of the Rams, is a new addition to the Los Angeles team having joined in 2017. This was shortly after McVay left the Washington Commanders, previously known as the Washington Redskins. McVay, at 36 years old, just became the youngest head coach to win the Lombardi Trophy. 

Contradictory to his loss, Joe Burrow had an amazing season this year in terms of his performance. This is Burrow’s second year in the NFL, after having been drafted in 2020, round 1/pick 1 to the Bengals. Considering it was his second season with the Bengals, it’s an accomplishment having made it to the Super Bowl. Additionally, despite having recently come back from a serious leg injury, Burrows was awarded Comeback Player of the Year.