Super Bowl 2022 LIVE: Los Angeles Rams vs Cincinnati Bengals result as Cooper Kupp wins MVP
The Los Angeles Rams beat the Cincinnati Bengals to win the Super Bowl and the Vince Lombardi Trophy
The Los Angeles Rams won Super Bowl 56 after a rollercoaster game with the Cincinnati Bengals. Cooper Kupp scored the winning touchdown before Aaron Donald made the decisive play in a 23-20 game at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles.
Quarterback Matthew Stafford threw for three touchdowns as he out duelled Joe Burrow in a see-saw game that went back and forth before LA, on their home field, emerged victorious in the fourth quarter. It is a second Super Bowl win for the Rams, following their first - as the St Louis Rams - back in 1999, as coach Sean McVay makes amends for defeat in the big game three years ago.
Odell Beckham Jr grabbed the opening score in the first quarter before Kupp hauled in his first of the night as the Rams jumped out to an early lead. But the Bengals, who have gone from the foot of the AFC North a year ago all the way to the showpiece game, came roaring back and a pair of Tee Higgins touchdowns either side of half-time saw them come back to lead heading into the fourth.
Crucially though Stafford still had time and on the Rams’ final possession drove all the way down before finding Kupp in the end zone to recapture the advantage. And with time ticking down Donald sacked Burrow on fourth down on the following drive to end the game and spark jubilant scenes in LA.
National Anthem
Country singer Mickey Guyton has the honour of delivering the American national anthem. She is joined by a choir behind her, most players looking to the heavens or closing their eyes and bowing their heads as Guyton delivers “The Star-Spangled Banner”. She points to the crowd as she launches her final vibrato. That’s a fine rendition.
America the Beautiful
Accompanied by a harp, LA native Jhené Aiko sings “America the Beautiful”. A very elegant performance, understated, but sweetly and soulfully sung.
About the crowd
It’s always an odd collection of individuals making up the crowd at the Super Bowl, with exorbitant ticket prices preventing so many fans from attening. But the reports from inside SoFi stadium are that the Bengals jerseys are more numerous, and the Cincinnati faithful are certainly making more of the early noise.
The players come out of the tunnel
There’s plenty of pomp and pageantry to get through before kick-off, and it’s a gorgeous afternoon in Los Angeles that the Rams players run out in to.
Next come the Bengals, led by Joe Burrow, alongside defensive leader BJ Hill, who gives a load of energy up front. Burrow looks focussed.
Player to Watch - Jessie Bates
The Bengals don’t have the same defensive stars. While Trey Hendrickson has proved an outstanding free agent addition off the edge, and DJ Reader has added plenty of stodge to clog the middle, there is no established superstar on the defence, and certainly none that are home-grown.
The closest thing the Bengals have to that is Jessie Bates, the rangy safety who is at his best covering deep. In truth, Bates was probably better in 2020 than 2021, but he is turned up his level in the play-offs, playing a key role in several vital turnovers for the Bengals and embodying the togetherness and intelligence of a defence playing better than the sum of its parts.
The Bengals adjusted brilliantly at half-time of the AFC Championship game, dropping eight players and rushing only three and forcing Patrick Mahomes to try and pick passes through the bodies. They should employ a similar tactic against Matthew Stafford, who shreds the blitz but is one of the five worst quarterbacks in the league when the opposition drop eight defenders into coverage. Might Bates snare an interception or two to swing the game the Bengals way?
Player to Watch - Aaron Donald
Jalen Ramsey is not Los Angeles’ only defensive star. Aaron Donald might be the best defensive player in history. A three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year, Donald is on another level as a defensive tackle, a ball of muscle with devilish, destructive hands who can be virtually unblockable for even the best offensive lines.
Which is bad news for the Cincinnati Bengals’ unit, which would be charitably described as not great. Far inferior players than Donald have caused havoc in front of Joe Burrow all season, and while the quarterback has almost superhuman powers of pocket evasion, and the Bengals will try to get the ball out quick, escaping Donald is no mean feat, and the Rams’ interior pass-rusher might just wreck this game.
There is also a rumour that Donald might just bow out of the sport if he adds a Lombardi Trophy to his extraordinary CV...
Player to Watch - Jamarr Chase
From one dominant wide receiver to another, and few rookies have ever contributed to a Super Bowl team like Jamarr Chase has to these Cincinnati Bengals. The team boldly ignored their offensive line woes and opted to reunite Chase with LSU teammate Joe Burrow after taking Chase at the top of last year’s NFL Draft, a decision that has paid immediate dividends. Their partnership is a thing of great beauty, an unspoken connection forged on trust for one another. Together they have powered this Bengals offence to the Super Bowl, and get the chance to paint pretty pictures in combination again with a championship on the line.
So how will the Los Angeles Rams try to counter Chase? Well they have arguably the NFL’s best cornerback in Jalen Ramsey, who may travel with Chase in a bid to limit his impact, even if it reduces Ramsey’s own opportunities to make game-changing plays. Ramsey tends to be used in a more versatile manner by defensive coordinator Raheem Morris, lining up in different spots and particularly in the STAR position shifted further infield.
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