INGLEWOOD, Calif. — They were built for this, desperate for this and assembled for this, an unprecedented urgency attached to a season that could be judged a success with only one possible outcome: Win it all.
Anything less than everything would mean nothing to the Rams. They mortgaged their future for the present and that present looked bleak Sunday night, when they trailed the Bengals by four late in the fourth quarter of Super Bowl LVI.
A comeback for the ages or abject failure.
“You talk about a resilient team,’’ Rams coach Sean McVay said.
Matthew Stafford, acquired in a mega-trade with the Lions for this very moment, was up to the task on the biggest stage of his life. He orchestrated a mammoth 15-play, 79-yard drive that took 4:48 off the clock, and his 1-yard touchdown pass to the wondrous Cooper Kupp with 1:25 remaining secured the winning points, as the Rams took it to the limit in a 23-20 victory over the Bengals in Super Bowl LVI at SoFi Stadium.
“That last drive was a special drive, one I’ll never forget,’’ Stafford said.
The Rams did it with a forceful second-half defensive display, with six of their seven sacks of Joe Burrow. They did it after halftime without Odell Beckham Jr., the former Giants first-round draft pick, who caught a 17-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter but was forced out in the second quarter with what looked to be a significant left knee injury.
On the final drive, McVay rolled the dice, going for it on fourth-and-1 on his own 30-yard line, and the play call — a jet sweep to Kupp, the game’s MVP with eight receptions for 92 yards and two touchdowns — was brilliant and picked up 7 yards.
Stafford (26 of 40, 283 yards, 3 TDs, 2 INTs) drilled one to Kupp for 22 yards. A holding penalty on linebacker Logan Wilson gave the Rams a first down at the 4-yard line. Eli Apple, the former Giants first-round pick, was called for holding when he grabbed Kupp’s jersey, putting the Rams on the 1-yard line. Kupp beat Apple for the game-winning touchdown.
The Bengals could not recover. They reached midfield but got no further. When Aaron Donald, a monster in the second half, hit Joe Burrow with 39 seconds remaining and forced an incomplete pass, it was over.
“It’s hard to lose really on the last play of the game,’’ Bengals coach Zac Taylor said. “We were moving the ball and in position I felt like to win the game, not tie it. We were going to try to go win it. Been working for the last six months, played 21 games and then you lose the Super Bowl. It’s not a lot of fun.’’
Said McVay: “For the offense to be able to find a way and for Aaron to be able to finish it off, it’s poetic.”
Donald finished with two sacks, three quarterback hits and two tackles for loss.
“He’s one of one,’’ safety Eric Weddle said.
“I thought we started taking over the game when we needed to,’’ Donald said.
This was the only acceptable result after the Rams made an almost desperate effort to wipe away the sting of their 13-3 loss to the Patriots three years ago in the lowest-scoring Super Bowl of all time. That defeat made it clear to the Rams they had to move on from Jared Goff and put the wheels in motion for the trade for Stafford.
It was a cruel turn of events for Beckham. With 3:50 remaining in the first half, he pulled up over the middle, dropping a pass because he could not keep his footing. He suffered a left knee injury and had to be helped off the field. Beckham tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee midway through the 2020 season and he looked distraught on the sideline as his helmet was taken away from him in his first Super Bowl.
But he will get a ring for being part of a Super Bowl winner.
Burrow (22 for 33, 263 yards) tossed a 13-yard scoring pass to Tee Higgins in the second quarter and opened the third quarter with a sensational (and controversial) 75-yard touchdown strike to Higgins, who appeared to grab the facemask of Jalen Ramsey and yank the cornerback to the ground to break free. That gave the Bengals a 17-13 lead. A 38-yard field goal from rookie Evan McPherson put the Rams in a 20-13 hole, but the Rams’ Matt Gay hit from 41 yards out and the Bengals took a 20-16 lead into the fourth quarter.
The Bengals were held scoreless in the fourth quarter.
“It hurts,’’ Burrow said. “It didn’t turn out the way we wanted. It’s disappointing.’’
The Rams could not run the ball (43 rushing yards) and Stafford did throw two interceptions. But they found a way when it mattered most.
“Our best players stepped up in the most crucial moments,’’ McVay said.
And because of that, the Rams showed not worrying about the future to win for today was the right way to put together their team.
“Just so happy to get it done,’’ said Stafford, who never won a playoff game in 12 years with the Lions. “I’m speechless.’’
