The Los Angeles Rams won Super Bowl LVI over the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday in a close 23-20 game that featured multiple interceptions by the Bengals and injuries to both quarterbacks.
The game took place at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, following an eventful season that led the Bengals to their first Super Bowl appearance since 1989. The Rams last played in the Super Bowl in 2019.
Rams head coach Sean McVay said he was proud of his team for the victory.
“It feels outstanding,” McVay told NBC. “You talk about a resilient team. The coaches, the players, I am so proud of this group. I am so proud to be associated with it. We talk about competitive greatness all the time, being your best when the best is required. For offense to find a way, and then Aaron to finish it off, is poetic.”
BENGALS, RAMS TO MEET IN SUPER BOWL 56
Both teams had eventful seasons leading into Sunday’s game, with both conference championship games separated by a single field goal. The Rams beat the San Francisco 49ers in a 20-17 game last week that went into overtime. Cincinnati beat out the Kansas City Chiefs in a 34-31 championship game with seconds left in an otherwise tied game.
Cincinnati quarterback Joe Burrow dominated the attention in the week leading into his first Super Bowl. Burrow was the first person picked in the 2020 draft and ended up taking the team to the Super Bowl in his second professional season. Burrow said that he stayed off of social media as he prepared himself mentally for the season’s biggest game.
“My phone hasn’t been blowing up as much, so that’s been nice,” Burrow told the Associated Press. “Just trying to eliminate those distractions. But yeah, the social part of the position that I’m in, it’s crazier than the football part to me.”
Los Angeles traded last season for quarterback Matthew Stafford, who had previously been a quarterback for the Detroit Lions. They also acquired linebacker Von Miller, cornerback Jalen Ramsey, and wide receivers Odell Beckham Jr. and Cooper Kupp, marking a star-studded team.
“We got a lot of stars over here,” Ramsey said in a tweet. “We oozing with confidence as well. So don’t forget about who we really are over here. We’ve been playing some great ball in this postseason. And you know obviously we got individual guys who have been great and doing great things in this league for years and years and years.”
Both teams showed promise with their kickers who helped secure their championship titles. Cincinnati’s Evan McPherson made it to the Super Bowl in his first season at the age of 22. Rams kicker Matt Gay previously played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and helped defeat the team in his first season with the Rams. Both kickers have successfully scored a field goal from 58 yards away. The current record for longest field goal in NFL history is 64 yards, achieved by kicker Matt Prater from the Denver Broncos, who set the record in 2013.
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This Super Bowl featured a series of firsts, including deaf rappers performing during the halftime show alongside Dr. Dre, Eminem, Snoop Dog, Kendrick Lamar, and Mary J. Blige. This year also marked the first time that sign language was incorporated into the halftime show. One of the rappers, Warren Snipe, signed “The Star-Spangled Banner” and “America, The Beautiful” last year. A pair of deaf students also participated in the coin toss as “honorary co-captains.”
The next Super Bowl is scheduled to be played in Glendale, Arizona, on Feb. 12, 2023. Next season will begin on Sept. 8, 2022.
