Yardbarker
x
Rams defeat Bengals 23-20, win first Super Bowl in 22 years
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Rams defeat Bengals 23-20, win first Super Bowl in 22 years

The Los Angeles Rams are the champions of Super Bowl LVI.

It's the first title for the franchise since 1999, when they were the St. Louis Rams. The Rams lost Super Bowl XXXVI to the New England Patriots in 2001, and then again to the Patriots in Super Bowl LIII in 2018 during their third season in Los Angeles.

The Rams got on the board first via a Matt Stafford-to-Odell Beckham Jr. 17-yard passing touchdown in the first quarter. Bengals rookie kicker Evan McPherson booted through a 29-yard field goal late in the opening frame to make it 7-3 at the end of the quarter, before Stafford hit Cooper Kupp on an 11-yard passing score, but a miscue on the extra-point attempt kept things at 13-3.

Cincinnati running back Joe Mixon tossed a six-yard touchdown pass to Tee Higgins on a trick play to close the scoring in the first half and make it 13-10 at the break. On the first play from scrimmage of the third quarter, Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow connected with Higgins on a 75-yard touchdown strike to give the underdogs their first lead of the game.

McPherson later hit his second field goal of the night to make it 20-13, before Los Angeles kicker Matt Gay answered with a 41-yarder of his own to make it 20-16 at the end of the third. With the running game going nowhere for most of the night and Beckham suffering a knee injury in the second quarter that knocked him out of action, Stafford continuously fed Kupp on the game-winning, 15-play drive late in the fourth quarter.

The signal-caller connected with his favorite target for the pivotal one-yard touchdown pass with 1:25 left in the fourth. Kupp -- who earned Super Bowl MVP honors -- finished the game with eight receptions for 92 yards and two touchdowns.

More must-reads:

Customize Your Newsletter

+

Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.