Seth Udinski, FISM News
The 2021 NFL season has come to a close, as fans soaked up the Super Bowl LVI finale on Sunday night.
The Los Angeles Rams defeated the Cincinnati Bengals 23-20 at California’s SoFi Stadium before a packed house in a matchup that was close from wire to wire.
The game was a thrilling finish to a thrilling season. After the Bengals led for most of the second half, the Rams took a 23-20 lead when quarterback Matt Stafford found wide receiver Cooper Kupp on a one-yard score with 1:25 left in the game.
Matthew Stafford with the slick one to Cooper Kupp for the score. #Rams lead with 1:25 left #Touchdown #RamsHouse #NFL #SBLVI #Football pic.twitter.com/UzidsuvDTD
— Gabriel Schray (@schrayguy) February 14, 2022
The Bengals got the ball back with a little more than a minute to play, but Aaron Donald sealed the win with a 4th down sack of Cincinnati QB Joe Burrow. The fiery defensive lineman was a near-unstoppable force in the second half, and his sack was a fitting finish to his eighth season. He is a likely future Hall of Famer, and many believe he is currently the best player in the league despite playing a typically unheralded position.
AARON. DONALD.
(via @NFL)pic.twitter.com/brcqv0hXVC
— ESPN (@espn) February 14, 2022
As had been the case all season long, the Stafford-Kupp connection drove the Rams to the win, as the pair hooked up for two touchdowns on eight receptions and 92 yards. Kupp, who won the NFL Offensive Player of the Year last week, was named the Super Bowl MVP.
Kupp is also an outspoken Christian, and he took to Twitter after the game to give glory to God, alluding to the apostle Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 9:25:
Do it to get a crown that will last forever.
— Cooper Kupp (@CooperKupp) February 14, 2022
The win gave the Rams their first championship as an LA-based team, including their years in the City of Angles before their stint in St. Louis from 1995-2015. The Rams organization had won the 1999 Super Bowl while in St. Louis.
The Rams become the second team in Super Bowl history to win the big game in their home stadium.