Super Bowl LVI Recap

I) The Rams defeated the Bengals 23-20 in Super Bowl LVI on Sunday in Sofi Stadium. Cooper Kupp was named game MVP and the Rams defense stopped Cincy on a last second drive to preserve the win. 

II) The game was good game, but a not a great one. It was close at the end and that is all you can ask for a Super Bowl. You want the game close at the end and that is what you got. I would give the game a "B."

III) The turning point of the game for me was when Cincy took a 17-13 lead on Tee Higgins 75 yard TD pass from Joe Burrow to start the third quarter and then got an interception of Matt Stafford on the next play. They really could have put a stranglehold on the game, but they settled for a field goal and a 20-13 lead instead of potentially being up 24-13.

IV) Give Matt Stafford credit. He put together a great drive at the end of the game with his team down 20-16. He made some big throws to Cooper Kupp, and hit him for the game-wining 1 yard TD pass with 1:25 left in the game. Stafford came over to the Rams in the trade from the Lions and did what he was supposed to do. He delivered a championship for the Rams.

V) Cooper Kupp was the best receiver in the NFL this year and he topped it off with a great performance in the Super Bowl. He deserved to get the MVP award and he had two TD catches and the game winner. His best play may have been the 4th and 1 run he had on the game-winning drive to save the Rams season.

VI) Aaron Donald made his case for MVP with a dominating defensive performance. He had 2 sacks and he pressured Joe Burrow on 4th down on the last play to stop the Bengals.

VII) The Rams defense dominated the Bengals offensive line. They registered seven sacks in the game. Von Miller had two sacks and he looked as good as he was in Super Bowl 50. 

VIII) The Bengals had a dream run that fell one game short. Really, they were a few plays away from winning the Super Bowl. It is never easy to get back to a Super Bowl, but with Joe Burrow at QB, they have a rising star, and they will be a team that should be in contention in the near future.

IX) Sean McVay wins his first Super Bowl at the age of 36. He is the youngest coach to win a Super Bowl in NFL history. The Rams were ridiculed for hiring him at such a young age in 2017, but all he has done is help turn this franchise around and deliver a Super Bowl trophy.

X) The Rams have now won their second Super Bow in franchise history and their first since 1999 when they were in St. Louis. This is their first Super Bowl win in Los Angeles, and caps off a season in which they put all their chips on the table and it paid off. Congrats to the Rams-their planned worked. 

Super Bowl LVI Preview and Pick

Super Bowl LVI is set and the Rams and Bengals will battle it out for the Lombardi Trophy in Sofi Stadium in Los Angeles. This is the fifth Super Bowl appearance for the Rams, and they are in the Super Bowl for the second time in four years. The Bengals are making their third Super Bowl appearance and it is their first trip to the Super Bowl since Super Bowl XXIII following the 1988 season. It should be a fun and competitive game in a matchup that no one saw coming before the season started. Here are the storylines for Super Bowl LVI between the Rams and Bengals....

I) Cool Joe Burrow- Joe Burrow has a chance to win the Super Bowl in his second year as a pro. He won a National Championship in 2019, was the first pick in the 2020 Draft, and now is in the Super Bowl in his second year. He has an opportunity to really make the leap if he wins this game.

II) All-In Rams- The Rams tried to build a super team to reach the Super Bowl, and it is one win away from officially paying off. They traded Jared Goff for Matt Stafford. They traded for Von Miller mid-season. They signed Odell Beckham Jr after he was released by Cleveland during the season. They have traded away draft picks to acquire veterans. All that was done and here they are in the Super Bowl once again. 

III) Sean McVay's Legacy: McVay has taken the NFL by storm since becoming a head coach in 2017. He took the Rams to playoffs his first year, went to the Super Bowl his second year, and now he returns to the Super Bowl in his fifth year. That is two Super Bowl appearances in five years. If he wins this Super Bowl, it will be as impressive of a five year run for a first time head coach in a long, long time in the NFL.

IV) Cincy Hope: The Bengals making it to the Super Bowl this year is one of the most improbable turnarounds in recent NFL history. They won 2 games two years ago and had the #1 pick. They only won 4 games last year, and now they are in the Super Bowl. This franchise had not won a playoff game sine 1990 before this playoff run. Now, they are AFC Champions with a legitimate chance to win the Lombardi Trophy. This certainly gives hope to all the other franchises in the NFL that they are not as far away as they think they are from reaching the ultimate goal. 

V) The Los Angeles Market: From 1995 to 2016, Los Angeles didn't have a NFL franchise, and no one really seemed to care out there. Ultimately, the Rams maneuvered their way to LA from St. Louis, and once again Los Angles was back in the NFL. The Chargers moved from San Diego a year later. The Rams were a LA-based team from 1946-1994, so having the Rams back in LA seemed like a logical fit for the NFL. The massive Sofi Stadium was built and now LA has winning team in the Rams and modern day stadium to support its' market. The move to Los Angeles was criticized by many around the league, but with the Rams in their second Super Bowl since moving to LA, and Sofi Stadium hosting the Super Bowl, it is safe to say that the move has worked out. 

Last Week's Record: 0-1-1

Overall Playoff Record: 6-4-2

(HOME TEAM IN CAPS)

A Case for the Rams: They have an advantage of being at home and playing in their home stadium. I really felt that the Bucs had a huge advantage last year when they hosted the Super Bowl, and I think the Rams will benefit this year. The Rams have the advantage in the coaching department with Sean McVay, and I think he will learn from his experience in 2018 when the Rams lost to the Patriots. I like the Rams pass rush going up against the Bengals offensive line too.The Rams were built for this moment. They had to get to the Super Bowl with their collection of stars, and all those big-time players are playing well for them (Stafford, Kupp, OBJ, Donald, Ramsey, Von). They did what they set out to do and they even got the monkey off their back by beating the 49ers in the NFC Championship Game. I think they are battled-tested after winning close games over the Bucs and the 49ers. This just feels like this is their moment. 

A Case for the Bengals: Every time it seems like you count out the Bengals this year, they come back and prove you wrong. At 7-6, they looked like they were trouble with their schedule down the stretch, but they won three out of their last four games to win the AFC North. People were picking against them against the Raiders and the Titans in the playoffs, and they won those games. No one picked them to beat the Chiefs in Arrowhead in the AFC Championship, and they were down 21-3 in the first half, yet they stormed all the way back and won in overtime. It just seems they have defied the odds at every point this season. I think the youth of the Bengals could be a positive factor as well. They can play fast and loose as the underdog in this game. Joe Burrow has also made the leap this year as one of the next great young QBs in the NFL, and it might be his time already. There are a lot of positive vibes with this team, and it won't shock anyone to see them win this game. 

Prediction: Los Angeles Rams (-4) over Cincinnati Bengals: This should be a close game and highly competitive throughout, but I think the Rams do just enough to hold onto the victory and win their first Super Bowl since Super Bowl XXXIV in 1999. 

Final Score: Rams-27 Bengals-21

Championship Sunday Reaction

 AFC Championship Game

Cincinnati-27 Kansas City-24 (Overtime)

1- This might go down as the biggest collapse/choke job in the history of the AFC Championship. The Chiefs were up 21-3 in the first half on the Bengals. They could not be stopped. After taking a 21-10 lead at halftime, the Chiefs only scored three points the rest of the way. The Bengals came all the way back and won the game in overtime 27-24. This was an absolute shocker based on the way it went down.

2-The decision by the Chiefs to go for it from the Cincy one yard line with only 2 seconds left in half was questionable. The play call was even worse. Pat Mahomes hit Tyreek Hill in the flat but he was tackled short of the endzone and time ran out. Instead of taking the easy field goal and being up 24-10 at the half, the Chiefs got too greedy and cute, and it back fired on them.

3-The Bengals did an amazing job in the second half. Joe Burrow made some huge plays in avoiding sacks and keep plays alive and extending drives. He also made some clutch throws and bring the Bengals all the way back. Give the Bengals defense credit too. They shutdown Mahomes and that offense in the second half and gave them nothing. They got two key interceptions as well. Just a fantastic job by that defense.

4-The game also shifted when the Bengals picked off Mahomes down 21-13 in the 3rd quarter. They scored a touchdown on the ensuing drive, got the two-point conversion and tied the game at 21. The second interception was on the first drive of overtime when Mahomes got picked off on the third play on a terrible throw to Hill, who was doubled covered. The Bengals took advantage and drove into field goal range to win the game 27-24. 

5-The Chiefs have been to four straight AFC Championship Games and two Super Bowls in the last four years. The window is not shut on Mahomes. Andy Reid is still a top coach and this team will be back, but this feels like a real opportunity lost. Up 21-3 and at home over the underdog Cincinnati Bengals, and they lost the game. Mahomes was really bad in the second half, and it wasn't Andy Reid's finest hour as well. Trust me, I enjoyed every second of it, and this was just a terrible loss by the Chiefs, and it will haunt them all offseason.

6-The Bengals continue their improbable run to the Super Bowl. To go into Arrowhead and knock off the Chiefs after being down 21-3 is truly amazing. Joe Burrow has cemented his spot as one of the next "Franchise" QBs in the league, and this team was 2-14 two years ago, and 4-11-1 last year, and now they are in the Super Bowl. Give head coach Zac Taylor credit as well. He has done a great job turning this team around. It seems pretty improbable that the Bengals are going to the Super Bowl for the first time since 1988, but here they are. 

NFC Championship Game

Los Angeles-20 San Francisco-17

1) This game played out very similar to how I felt it would play out. It was a close game throughout, but the Niners have to be thinking about the fact that they held a 17-7 lead going into the 4th quarter. They had to feel that they were going to win the game, but they couldn't close it out.

2) The Rams battled back and scored 13 points in the 4th quarter to come back and win the game. Once again, their stars played great. Matt Stafford, Aaron Donald, Cooper Kupp, Odell Beckham Jr, and Von Miller all played well and helped the Rams win the game. The Rams looked liked they were going to lose to the 49ers for the seventh straight time, but they came through and won the NFC Championship.

3) Kyle Shanahan will be thinking about his decision to punt when the 49ers had a 4th and 2 from the Rams 45 yard line with 10:05 left in the game. SF was up 17-14 at that point, and touchdown on that drive probably puts the game away. Even if they settle for a field goal, they can take up some more time. Shanahan tried to draw the Rams offsides, but they didn't bite and he punted it away. LA came down and tied the game at 17 on the next drive.

4) Sean McVay did not have one of his best games as a head coach in this spot. He had two horrible challenges which left him with none at the end of the game, and he burned all of his timeouts. They are lucky they won the game, and his clock and game management was really off the charts bad in this one. 

5) The 49ers are going to be kicking themselves after Jarski Tartt dropped an easy interception at midfield with SF up 17-14 in the fourth quarter. The Rams tied it up on a field goal on that drive. That was a killer for SF.

6) The Rams defense turned it up and shut down the Niners on their last two drives to secure the win. All those investments on that side of ball paid off in the end.

7) The Niners were very close to advancing to another Super Bowl, but they fell just short. There will be some sleepless nights for them in the offseason as well. It looks like Jimmy G will end up getting traded in the offseason and the run with this group might be over.

8) The Rams loaded up on stars and big-name players and it paid off. They traded away first round picks and it worked. They are heading back to the Super Bowl and get to play the game in their home stadium as a bonus.