With their backs against the wall late in the fourth quarter, the Los Angeles Rams battled down the field with Super Bowl MVP Cooper Kupp ending a 15-play, 79-yard drive with a 1-yard touchdown to take a 23-20 lead over the Cincinnati Bengals and ultimately claim victory in Super Bowl LVI. Overcoming two Matthew Stafford interceptions and a controversial Bengals touchdown surrounding halftime, the Rams became just the second team in NFL history to win a Lombardi Trophy in their home stadium.
By winning inside SoFi Stadium, Los Angeles captured the second Super Bowl in franchise history after taking Super Bowl XXXIV over the Tennessee Titans in 1999.
The Rams were led by an uneven but gutty effort from Stafford, who completed 26 of 40 passes for 283 yards with those two picks, and Kupp, who caught eight passes for 92 yards and two of those three scores. The third touchdown went to WR Odell Beckham Jr., who left the game in the second quarter due to a non-contact knee injury and never returned.
Equally impressive was the Rams defense, which combined for seven sacks with stars Aaron Donald and Von Miller each knocking Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow down twice.
Burrow completed 22 of 33 passes for 263 yards and a touchdown, while Cincinnati running back Joe Mixon (72 yards rushing) also tossed a touchdown pass. Both scores were hauled in by WR Tee Higgins, who caught four passes for 100 yards.
The game changed immediately out of halftime when, on the first play from scrimmage at the start of the third quarter, Burrow hit Higgins deep down the sideline for a 75-yard touchdown. Higgins’ score was immediately marred in controversy, however, as replay showed he clearly grabbed a hold of cornerback Jalen Ramsey’s facemask. No penalty was called on the play.
That score gave Cincinnati its first lead at 17-13. The Bengals increased their advantage to 20-13 before the Rams closed the door with the final 10 points of the game.