The Rams are Super Bowl Champions and Matthew Stafford finally gets his ring as they beat the Bengals 20-23.
When palms were sweaty and the situation was tight, Matthew Stafford rose to the occasion as he threw the game-winning touchdown to Super Bowl MVP, Cooper Kupp. Cincinnati had a 20-16 lead with only 1:32 remaining. However, a costly penalty made the Bengals lose the Super Bowl.
It was their first championship since moving to Los Angeles and it was their second title in franchise history. They are the second team in history to host the Super Bowl and win it on their own turf following the Tampa Bay Buccaneers who did it last year.
The First quarter didn’t disappoint as both teams’ defenses stood their ground. However, with 6:22 left in the first, Matthew Stafford opened the scoring with a 25-yard pass to Odell Beckham Jr. With only 30 seconds left. The Bengals with a score of their own by kicking a field goal making it 7-3.
The action continued in the second quarter as the Rams doubled their lead as Stafford threw a touchdown pass to a wide-open Kupp. The Bengals didn’t go down without a fight as they went down the field and scored a touchdown, making it 10-13. However, with 3:50 left in the quarter, Beckham got injured and was forced to leave the game. The Rams tried to do a hail mary pass but it was intercepted.
The third quarter began and it wasn’t a pretty start for the Rams. The Bengals got the jump on them as they took the lead making it 17-13. A couple of plays later, the Rams turned it over as the Bengals managed to get a field goal. When the Rams’ offense struggled to get going, it was their defense that took the charge as they held the Bengals back. Even though the Rams struggled to get going, they managed to get a field goal making it 16-20.
Going into the fourth quarter, the Rams were down by 4 and they were not gonna go down without a fight. They kept pushing as the Bengals’ defense gave everything they had to hold the Rams from scoring. In the end, it was inevitable, Stafford marched down the field and with the help of a couple major penalties, they took the lead. Burrow and the Bengals did everything in their ability to tie the game. In a clutch situation, Aaron Donald made the last play of the game to win the title for the Rams.
The historic run for the Bengals ended in a painful way. However, despite the loss, the city of Cincinnati will never forget the journey that they had to get there. They beat the Raiders, Titans and Chiefs, but the Rams were the only team that they lost to in the postseason.
After the game, Rams Headcoach, Sean McVay shared his thoughts on his team’s performance.
“It feels outstanding. You talk about a resilient team, coaches, players. I’m so proud of this group, just proud to be associated with it,” said McVay. “We talk about competitive greatness all the time, being your best when your best is required. For the offense to be able to find a way and then Aaron to be able to finish it off, it’s poetic, man.”
Donald talked about winning the Super Bowl and what it took to win it.
“If you want something bad enough, you gotta go get it,” said Donald. “It was right in front of us. We had the lead and it was put on the defense’s shoulders to make the big stop to help us be world champions. You wouldn’t want it any other way.”
Suffolk University junior, Cam Stefek, also shared his thoughts on the Rams performance in the Super Bowl.
“I wasn’t too surprised by the Rams performance. They have the best roster in the NFL all around,” said Stefek. “I think what changed the momentum for the Rams was when Cooper Kupp and Stafford got in a rhythm. There’s no defense in the NFL that can stop them when they are playing like that.”
Follow Ricardo Orphanos on Twitter: @OrphanosRicardo
