Rams earn comeback win over 49ers, will host Super Bowl LVI
The Los Angeles Rams won't have to make any travel plans in the coming days, as their 20-17 NFC Championship Game victory over the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday clinched a spot in Super Bowl LVI, set to take place at SoFi Stadium in two weeks. The Rams will face the Cincinnati Bengals for the Vince Lombardi Trophy, as the AFC champions knocked off the Kansas City Chiefs 27-24 in overtime earlier in the day.
Super Bowl LVI is scheduled to kick off 6:30 p.m. ET on Feb. 13.
Following a scoreless first quarter that saw Los Angeles tight end Tyler Higbee go down with a knee injury, the Rams struck first in the second, as quarterback Matthew Stafford hit MVP candidate Cooper Kupp for a 16-yard touchdown midway through the stanza. Just a few minutes later, 49ers signal-caller Jimmy Garoppolo connected with dynamic wideout Deebo Samuel on a screen pass and saw the speedster race off for a 44-yard score.
Niners kicker Robbie Gould drilled a 38-yard field goal to end the first half and make it a 10-7 game. Garoppolo found tight end George Kittle for a 16-yard score through the air as the only points of the third, and the hosts trailed 17-7 with 15 minutes of play left.
Stafford and Kupp hooked up for another touchdown early in the fourth quarter -- this time from 11 yards away -- and after the next San Francisco drive stalled out near midfield, Los Angeles kicker Matt Gay made a 30-yard field goal to make it 17-17 with 6:53 left in regulation. The Niners went three-and-out on their next possession, the Rams ate up clock on their ensuing drive, which ended with Gay's third field goal, the eventual game-winner.
Garoppolo was intercepted with just over one minute left in the fourth, and Los Angeles was able to go into victory formation.
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