By PATRICK KUENZEL
For the second time in two years the NFL champion has been crowned in their home stadium. The Los Angeles Rams defeated a stingy Cincinnati Bengals squad 23-20 in Super Bowl LVI to give LA its second Lombardi trophy in franchise history.
Both teams took the field Sunday night in front of millions across the world watching. Thousands of celebrities attended what has been called “the most scenic super bowl in recent time.” SoFi Stadium, 10 miles south of Hollywood in Inglewood California showed it self off on Sunday night.
The storylines heading into the big game were loud and very real. Many people were asking themselves… Would Joe Burrow become the first Quarterback to ever win The Heisman, a National Championship, and a Super Bowl? Or would Matthew Stafford defy all odds against him and be crowned a champion in his 12th season in the NFL?. At the end of the day the Rams talent and grit got them to the top. Performances on the offensive side of the ball from Quarterback Matthew Stafford, Wide Receivers Cooper Kupp and Odell Beckham Jr. are what staged a late game drive to win them the Super Bowl.
But that was all setup by the Rams defense. A performance for the ages by Aaron Donald and the Rams defensive line is what allowed that late game drive to happen. Cincinnati’s offensive line has been considered a liability all season long and it didn’t hold up well on Sunday especially in the second half.
Over the course of the season Bengals QB Joe Burrow overcame 51 sacks to lead his team to the playoffs. Burrow got sacked 7 times on Sunday which is a super bowl record. 6 of those sacks came in the second half.
Bengals Coach, Zac Taylor said after the game “In the second half, we called some passes and it got difficult.”
When talking to one Bengals fan after the game we discussed the Bengals handling of the Rams pass rush in the second half. Alex Engel, a North Jersey football fan, said, “it was horrible, I think they should’ve doubled teamed Aaron Donald and Von Miller.” All post season long Cincinnati was making great halftime adjustments on Sunday that differed. Alex said “they really didn’t develop properly in the second half and they didn’t make the correct adjustments.”
After the Rams scored to take the lead 23-20 with 80 seconds left on the clock it was Burrows turn to drive his team down the field. Getting the ball into Rams territory off a couple of pass plays trying to set them up for a game tying field goal.
With 43 seconds left on the clock the Bengals needed a first down. 4th and 1 from the Rams 49 yard line. “When it was fourth down, you could see they got into the shotgun and they were probably not going to run the football,” Rams coach Sean McVay said.
Burrow never stood a chance, getting hit by Aaron Donald in just 2.14 seconds. Burrow was forced to throw a fluttering football into the air hoping someone would catch it. No one did and that was the play that sealed it for the Rams. Rams Head Coach Sean McVay said after the game, “Aaron’s going to close the game out right here. He is the F’n man.”
McVay said that into his headset on the sideline before the final play was called. As Aaron Donald proved his coach right again he also proved the world that he is the best player in football. There were reports that surfaced before the game that this might be Donald’s last game if the Rams won. They won, Donald said after the game: “I’m living in the moment right now,” emotional on the field with his family Donald said, “I’m gonna enjoy this with these guys.” Link to where you got the quote.
Aaron Donald’s performance on Sunday gave Engel. “Super Bowl 50 vibes.” He said “Donald was just so dominant, that it reminded me of Von Miller on Cam Newton in Super Bowl 50.” He said, “I feel it’s the same thing here, Donald was just a dominant player and was able to do what he needed to do to win the game.”
SUPER BOWL MVP- COOPER KUPP
Triple Crown
Offensive Player of the Year
Super Bowl MVPA season we’ll never forget pic.twitter.com/iJy68Elxre
— Master (@MasterTes) February 14, 2022
As the confetti rained down on the field in blue and gold the super bowl MVP Cooper Kupp was lying on the field with hands over his head. Kupp had scored two touchdowns, including the game winning touchdown. Leading the NFL in receptions, receiving yards, and touchdowns in the regular season he capped off his historical season in grand fashion. When asked about Kupp’s season, Engel said, “he was the best receiver in football this season, definitely.”
I thought that the story had good elements with the main parts of the Super Bowl being highlighted, and then also hyperlinking those plays discussed with videos of them if the reader wanted to watch them. The tweet helps show what is described in the writing. The audio clip of a fan perspective I think adds a connection to the reader because usually fans have opinions. I also liked the addition of unique facts thrown in there that not everybody would just know.