The los Angeles Rams won their second Super Bowl championship on Sunday after defeating Cincinnati Bengals 23-20 at SoFi stadium.
Quarterback Matthew Stafford’s go-ahead touchdown pass to wide receiver Cooper Kupp with 1:25 left, followed by defensive lineman Aaron Donald’s fourth-down pressure of Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow on the ensuing drive gave Rams their first Super Bowl title in Los Angeles.
Trailing 20-16 with 6:20 remaining, the Rams reached the Bengals 8-yard line with under 2 minutes remaining. Facing a 3rd-and-goal from that spot, Stafford’s pass intended for Kupp was broken up, but a defensive holding call against the Bengals kept the drive alive. On the next play, Stafford fired what was initially the go-ahead, four-yard touchdown pass to Kupp, but it was negated by off-setting penalties.
A pass interference penalty against the Bengals on the next play advanced the ball to their 1-yard line with 1:38 left. Stafford then connected with Kupp from one yard out for the go-ahead touchdown pass to put the Rams up 23-20 with 1:25 left.
Quarterback Joe Burrow opened the Bengals’ ensuing series with a 17-yard completion to wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase and 9-yard completion to wide receiver Tee Higgins to move them to midfield. Needing to convert on 4th and 1 from the Rams 49 to keep the drive alive, Donald slammed the door shut pressuring Burrow into an incompletion that resulted in a turnover on downs.
Stafford completed 26 of 40 pass attempts for 283 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions in the victory. Kupp tallied eight receptions for 92 yards and two touchdowns, while wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. posted two receptions for 52 yards and a touchdown before exiting the game late in the first half with a knee injury.
Meanwhile, the Rams defense collected seven sacks, led by Donald and outside linebacker Von Miller’s two each.