The Los Angeles Rams overcame two turnovers and the second-quarter loss of Odell Beckham Jr. to outlast the Bengals on Sunday and capture Super Bowl LVI.
Matt Stafford, whom the franchised traded for this past offseason in order to increase its chances at securing the Lombardi Trophy, led a fourth-quarter comeback at SoFi Stadium in a victory that'll do a lot for his, Sean McVay and Aaron Donald's legacies.
A Cooper Kupp jet sweep on a fourth-and-1 with about five minutes to go in the matchup jumpstarted the Rams' go-ahead drive — and it seemed to jumpstart Kupp, too. The NFL's best receiver all year long was rather quiet for much of the proceedings but came alive when L.A. needed him most, first converting that clutch sequence, catching multiple balls and drawing two holding penalties down near the goal line on his squad's final march.
Those events merely set up Kupp's most vital contribution of the evening, though, which was snagging this back-shoulder throw from Stafford on what proved to be the decisive score.
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From there, the Rams defense stood up to Joe Burrow and the explosive Bengals. After a couple of Cincy first downs, L.A. cornered Cincinnati into a fourth-and-1, where Donald was able to get to Burrow and force an errant throw.
All that was left after that was one Stafford kneeldown. Then came the confetti, the tears and plenty of celebrating.
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Stafford finished the night with three touchdowns, two of which went to Kupp, and the Rams defense posted seven sacks. Before exiting with his knee injury, Beckham Jr. opened up the contest with an end zone trip of his own.
"That game today is the story of our season," Stafford said immediately following the final whistle. "It’s up and down, it’s tough, but we’re a tough team. We got it done."
Donald, meanwhile, was overcome with emotion as he tried to describe the scene.
"I dreamed this," he said. "I dreamed this. It’s surreal. I feel amazing. I feel great."
