Los Angeles, United States. 13th Feb, 2022. Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp (10) pulls in a one-yard game winning touchdown while covered by Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Eli Apple (20) in the fourth quarter of Super Bowl LVI at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles on Sunday, February 13, 2022. The Rams defeated the Bengals 23-20.
Credit: © John Angelillo, UPI/Alamy Images

The Los Angeles Rams rallied late and unleashed a stifling second-half defense to defeat the Cincinnati Bengals 23-20 in Super Bowl LVI in SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles on Jan. 13, 2022. The victory gave the Rams their second Super Bowl title and their first since the team relocated back to Los Angeles from St. Louis in 2016. For Cincinnati, the team suffered its third Super Bowl loss, returning to the title game after a 33-year drought.  

Rams quarterback Matt Stafford, who joined Los Angeles as part of a blockbuster off-season trade with the Detroit Lions, struck first in the game with a 17-yard touchdown toss to wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. in the first quarter. Beckham Jr. later left the game with a non-contact knee injury and did not return. Cincinnati answered with a 29-yard field goal by their reliable rookie kicker Evan McPherson. The Rams again marched downfield early in the second quarter when Stafford hit Cooper Kupp with an 11-yard touchdown pass. However, a blown extra point attempt left the Rams leading 13-3. The Bengals then mounted a seven-minute drive capped by a trick play where running back Joe Mixon took the handoff and tossed it 6 yards to wide receiver Tee Higgin in the end zone. The Rams held a slim 13-10 lead going into halftime.  

The halftime show was the first all hip-hop show in Super Bowl history. The performers included legendary rap and hip-hop artists Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Mary J. Blige, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, and 50 Cent. Dr. Dre helped launch the careers of Snoop Dogg and Eminem. The outstanding performance featured hit songs connecting with multiple generations.

After receiving the second-half kickoff, Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow immediately connected on an explosive 75-yard touchdown pass to Higgins to take the lead 17-13. Replays of the touchdown showed that Higgins grabbed the facemask of Rams cornerback Jalen Ramsey. However, the referees did not throw a penalty flag on the play. On the following possession by the Rams, Stafford’s pass to rookie wide receiver Ben Skowronek deflected off his fingertips and was intercepted by Bengals cornerback Chidobe Awuzie. The Bengals converted that takeaway to a 38-yard McPherson field goal to take a 20-13 lead with momentum swinging their way.  

That momentum quickly stalled as the Rams defense sprang to life, with defensive tackle Aaron Donald and linebacker Von Miller each sacking Bengals quarterback Burrow twice to snuff out drives. The defensive stalemate continued late into the fourth quarter. It was finally broken when Stafford capped a long Los Angeles drive with a 1-yard touchdown pass to receiver Cooper Kupp, giving the Rams a 23-20 lead with 1 minute 25 seconds remaining in the football game. The Bengals, who had been an explosive second-half team in the playoffs, had time enough to respond. But Aaron Donald bull-rushed the Bengals offensive line and pressured Burrow into an errant throw on fourth down, to secure victory for the Rams.  

Cincinnati quarterback Burrow finished the game with 22 completions in 33 pass attempts for 263 yards and one touchdown. The Los Angeles defense sacked him a total of seven times. Rams quarterback Stafford completed 26 of 40 passes for 283 yards, with two passing touchdowns and two interceptions. Rams wide receiver Kupp, who led the NFL in receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns throughout the regular season, finished the Super Bowl with 8 catches for a team-high 92 yards and two touchdowns. He was named the game’s Most Valuable Player (MVP).  

February 6, 2019

On Sunday, February 3, the New England Patriots downed the Los Angeles Rams 13-3 in Super Bowl LIII (53), the championship game of the National Football League (NFL). In the lowest scoring game in Super Bowl history, the Rams and Patriots both exhibited stellar defenses, but only the Patriots managed to reach the end zone at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, in Atlanta, Georgia. With the slow-paced victory, the Patriots joined the Pittsburgh Steelers as the only NFL teams with six Super Bowl titles. New England quarterback Tom Brady and head coach Bill Belichick became the first six-time individual Super Bowl champions in NFL history.

On Feb. 3, 2019, Patriots running back Sony Michel scores the only touchdown of Super Bowl LIII at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia. Credit: © Maddie Meyer, Getty Images

Sunday’s game was a rematch of Super Bowl XXXVI (36), in which New England beat the Rams 20-17.  It was the 11th Super Bowl appearance for the Patriots, the most of any NFL team. It was the fourth Super Bowl for the Rams, whose only title came in Super Bowl XXXIV (34), a 23-16 victory over the Tennessee Titans.

The game’s opening minutes forecast the offensive doldrums to come. The Rams intercepted Brady’s first pass attempt, ending a promising drive, and the Patriots managed only a 42-yard field goal through the game’s first two quarters. The Rams’ offense struggled even more, barely pushing the ball past midfield and punting on all six first half possessions.

The Rams eked out a 53-yard field goal to tie the game in the third quarter, but Brady and the Patriots responded with the difference-making scoring drive in the fourth. Starting at the New England 31-yard line, Brady completed four quick passes, the last of which found tight end Rob Gronkowski on the Rams’ two-yard line. From there, running back Sony Michel punched the ball into the end zone for a touchdown. The extra point made it 10-3 Patriots.

With more than four minutes remaining in the game, the Rams had plenty of time to mount a comeback. Los Angeles quarterback Jared Goff completed three passes to reach the New England 44-yard line. Taking a shot at the end zone, a Goff pass fell incomplete. On the next play, Goff tried again, but this time the pass was intercepted by Patriots cornerback Stephon Gilmore. Taking over the ball at their own four-yard line, New England put the nails in the Los Angeles coffin by eating up three minutes on a drive that ended with a 41-yard field goal and a 13-3 lead. With a minute to play, Los Angeles scraped together a desperate drive that led to a missed field goal and the end of the game.

Playing in his first Super Bowl, Jared Goff completed 19 of 38 pass attempts for 229 yards and no touchdowns. Playing in his ninth Super Bowl, Tom Brady’s just-good-enough stats included connecting on 21 of 35 pass attempts for 262 yards and no touchdowns. With 10 catches for 141 yards, Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman was named the game’s Most Valuable Player.

The 13-3 final score was the lowest in Super Bowl history. The previous record was set in 1973, when the Miami Dolphins defeated the Washington Redskins 14-7 in Super Bowl VII (7).