Cooper Kupp may not have won the regular season Most Valuable Player Award, but he will just have to settle for the Super Bowl version of that trophy and a championship ring. The most dominant player in the NFL this season, and no that isn’t a debate, capped one of the all time great seasons by scoring the game winning touchdown in the biggest showcase for his sport.
Matthew Stafford’s touchdown pass to Kupp from the 1 yard line capped a 15 play, 79 yard drive that ended up giving the Los Angeles Rams a 23-20 lead over the Cincinnati Bengals that their defense would hold on to and clinch a Super Bowl victory. The Rams’ quarterback-wide receiver combo would connect for eight catches, 92 yards, and two touchdowns during the game.
The Rams jumped out to a 13-3 lead early in the second quarter with their offense using a combination of Kupp and Odell Beckham Jr. to give the Bengals’ secondary fits. Both receivers scored touchdowns and even though Los Angeles failed an extra point kick, it looked like the Rams were going to give Cincinnati all they could handle for the entire game.
That all changed when Beckham Jr. had a non-contact injury toward the end of the first half, falling to the ground and clutching his knee. He would not return for the rest of the game and the Rams’s offense looked like a shell of itself from that point on. The Bengals’ defense mauled the Rams’ running game, only allowing 43 rushing yards for the entire game. After the Rams’ second touchdown, Cincinnati held them to only three points over their next seven possessions and picked off Stafford twice. It seemed like a similar style of game we had all seen from the Bengals during this playoff run. A team that often looks outmatched, but makes adjustments and just finds a way to be just a tad bit better than their opponent.
The Bengals had pulled within three points before halftime, but all of the momentum seemed to be going in their favor. That was only amplified after halftime. Before fans were even able to come down from the energy of Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Mary J. Blige, 50 Cent, Kendrick Lamar, and Eminem giving one of the all time great halftime shows, Joe Burrow hit Tee Higgins for his second touchdown of the game to open the second half. The 75 yard touchdown created plenty of controversy as Higgins got away with an obvious face mask on All-Pro defensive back Jalen Ramsey that threw him off balance and prevented him from making a play on the ball.
Cincinnati would score another three points on an Evan McPherson field goal to increase their lead to 20-13. Those would be their final points of the game as the Los Angeles defense stepped in to make up for the lack of offensive production.
The Rams would pull within four points after a Matt Gay field goal, but would not score any other points until it was “do or die” time with just over six minutes to go in the game.
That is when Stafford, who did struggle with some accuracy issues throughout the game, put together what will likely be his career defining drive. 46 of the 79 yards were gained through his favorite target in Kupp, including a 4th and 1 run from Los Angeles’ own 30 yard line that likely saved their title aspirations. A semi-questionable defensive holding call against Cincinnati on 3rd and 8 would give the Rams another four downs to work with and eventually lead to Kupp’s game winning score.
With two timeouts and 1:25 left in the game, hope wasn’t lost for the never say die Bengals. They were able to advance to nearly midfield within three plays, but then Aaron Donald put an end to that. Donald, arguably the best defensive player in the league put his final stamp on the game and was living in the Bengals’ back field, eventually leading to a 4th down pressure of Burrow that forced him to throw an off balance pass that went off target and clinched a Rams’ Super Bowl victory.
The Los Angeles Rams entered this season with extremely high expectations, essentially sending Jared Goff to Detroit for Stafford in hopes that he would be the upgrade needed to bring the Lombardi Trophy to Hollywood. At times this season, it didn’t seem like the move would pay its dividends, but the additions of Beckham Jr. and Von Miller helped give the Rams the extra juice it needed to make a playoff run. In the end, Beckham Jr. wasn’t on the field for the final offensive drive and the Rams had to fall back on “old faithful”, Stafford to Kupp.
Stafford now goes from being 0-3 in the playoffs to winning four straight post season games and earning a Super Bowl ring in his first season with Los Angeles. He finished with 283 yards passing, three touchdowns, and two interceptions.
The Bengals may have lost this game and although it may be devastating now, they have plenty of promise to look forward to. Of course it is always hard to get back to a Super Bowl berth, but Cincinnati made a run with a very young team in an absolutely stacked AFC. They have young cornerstone pieces on offense, including Burrow, who is coming off just his second season in the league. They made it to the big game despite an often atrocious offensive line. The Bengals will have an opportunity to improve though as they are in one of the best salary cap situations across the entire NFL. If the team is managed and built right, we will likely see Cincinnati back in title contention sooner rather than later.
The night is really about Los Angeles though. From the stars in the seats to the amazing representation of the West Coast music scene. Stafford getting his ring. Kupp receiving his MVP trophy. Head Coach Sean McVay becoming the youngest coach to win a Super Bowl after admitting to being outcoached by Bill Belichick in his first appearance. Donald making the game ending play and possibly riding off into the sunset with a title to add to arguably the greatest eight year resume in NFL history. For La La Land, it was a night one could only dream of.