Super Bowl 56 review: 'All in' Rams defeat Bengals to earn their Hollywood ending
The Rams — for the first time as the Los Angeles Rams — are Super Bowl champions.
The Super Bowl-or-bust approach paid off for the Rams, who became the second consecutive team to win the Super Bowl in their home stadium.
Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp — who received one vote for the 2021 NFL MVP award — earned Super Bowl 56 MVP honors after catching eight passes for 92 yards and two touchdowns, including the game-winner with 1:25 remaining in the game.
For quarterback Matthew Stafford, who experienced 12 mostly frustrating seasons playing for the Detroit Lions, the 2021 season turned out to be lucky year No. 13.
Aaron Donald — a three-time NFL defensive player of the year — attained the one accomplishment that had eluded him to this point, turning in a signature performance with two sacks and four tackles (two for a loss).
For Joe Burrow and the young Cincinnati Bengals, this was a disappointing finish to what had been a fairy tale season.
Super Bowl 56: Expert analysis
- 56 things we learned: The Rams won their first Super Bowl title in Los Angeles, with no shortage of intriguing subplots that shaped the win over the Bengals.
- Winners and losers: While the Rams' Aaron Donald made key plays down the stretch, Joe Burrow and the Bengals fell short of Super Bowl glory.
- Super Bowl takeaways: While game MVP Cooper Kupp came through in the clutch for the Rams, Joe Burrow was under pressure all game as it was a rough day for the Bengals' offensive line.
- Rams' wild Super Bowl victory over Bengals completes bold plan: The Rams' 2021 season, which essentially took on a Super Bowl-or-bust theme, received its Hollywood ending, Mike Jones writes.
- Cooper Kupp, once ignored, dominates biggest game: Lots of NFL players say they are prepared for the moment, but many aren't, and even fewer have the chance to prove it. Kupp did both, Mike Freeman writes.
- Aaron Donald cements place as all-time great: Donald's career achievements were already unmatched, but the Rams star added the one missing piece to his resume with a Super Bowl title.
- Inside the Rams' Super Bowl-winning drive: Matthew Stafford and Cooper Kupp led the Rams on an epic championship-winning drive.
- Sean McVay showed how much he's learned after last Super Bowl experience: McVay had said repeatedly that he was "outcoached" by Bill Belichick in Super Bowl 53. On Sunday, he took those lessons to help his Rams win the big one, Jarrett Bell writes.
Super Bowl 56: Biggest moments
- Sean McVay became the youngest head coach to win a Super Bowl.
- Hints that Aaron Donald could retire after a Rams win in the Super Bowl surfaced during NBC's pregame show.
- Rams safety Taylor Rapp proposed to his longtime girlfriend during the Super Bowl 56 postgame celebration.
- Rams WR Van Jefferson’s wife went into labor while at SoFi Stadium for Super Bowl 56.
- Chiefs players trolled Eli Apple after the Bengals cornerback was in coverage on Cooper Kupp's game-winning touchdown pass.
- Cincy Special? Bengals RB Joe Mixon became the fifth non-quarterback to throw a touchdown pass in a Super Bowl.
- A fan got tackled after running onto the field at SoFi Stadium during the Super Bowl.
- A large contingent of celebrities were in attendance at Super Bowl 56.
- Eminem, Mary J. Blige, Snoop, Dre and Kendrick Lamar proved to be a fiery mix in the Super Bowl halftime show.
Ad Meter: Watch the Super Bowl 56 commercials
Watch all the commercials from Super Bowl 56 and see which ones were the highest-rated among viewers.
- Anna Kendrick leads Rocket Mortgage to another Super Bowl victory in Paste BN's Ad Meter
- What was that? Coinbase's QR code Super Bowl commercial confused viewers.
- Walter Payton finally got his Super Bowl touchdown, thanks to a commercial from the NFL.
The road to Super Bowl 56
WILD CARD WEEKEND
Cincinnati Bengals 26, Las Vegas Raiders 19
Buffalo Bills 47, New England Patriots 17
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 31, Philadelphia Eagles 15
San Francisco 49ers 23, Dallas Cowboys 17
Kansas City Chiefs 42, Pittsburgh Steelers 21
Los Angeles Rams 34, Arizona Cardinals 11
DIVISIONAL PLAYOFFS
Cincinnati Bengals 16, Tennessee Titans 13
San Francisco 49ers 13, Green Bay Packers 10
Los Angeles Rams 30, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 27
Kansas City Chiefs 42, Buffalo Bills 36 (OT)
CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS
Cincinnati Bengals 27, Kansas City Chiefs 24 (OT)
Los Angeles Rams 20, San Francisco 49ers 17
SUPER BOWL 56
Los Angeles Rams 23, Cincinnati Bengals 20
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