FINAL: Rams 23, Bengals 20
The Rams went all-in.
And they’re now Super Bowl LVI champions.
Matthew Stafford's one-yard touchdown pass to Super Bowl LVI MVP Cooper Kupp (+600 odds) with 1:29 remaining gave the Rams a 23–20 lead that held.
Aaron Donald, who easily could have won MVP, forced a bad pass on fourth down that resulted in a turnover on downs and all but sealed the game.
The Rams have mortgaged future picks and cap space in pursuit of a championship and this title validated it all. Their big-ticket acquisitions Matthew Stafford (26 for 40, 283 yards, three touchdowns), Von Miller (two sacks) and Odell Beckham Jr. (2 catches, 52 yards, touchdown) each played a massive role in this victory.
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This win didn’t come easy.
The Rams stormed to a 13–3 lead, but the Bengals rallied for 17 straight points to take a 20–13 with 10:19 remaining in the game. The Rams’ offense stalled, but their ferocious pass rush kept them in the game as they sacked Joe Burrow seven times.
Kupp clinched his MVP with performance on the 79-yard, game-clinching drive. Kupp secured a critical first down with an end-around on fourth-and-1 inside Rams’ territory, and caught passes for 8, 22, 8, 4 and 1 (touchdown) on the drive.
Bengals fans will forever remember a questionable pass interference called against Kupp on third down that changed the game. The Rams would have faced a fourth down at the 8-yard line and instead capitalized by taking the lead.
The Bengals drove the ball to the Rams’ 49-yard line, but some questionable calls stalled the drive. An incomplete pass on second down followed by a Samaje Perine run (where was Joe Mixon?) set up fourth-and-1.
Donald, who finished with two sacks, wrapped up Burrow on fourth down and forced an errant pass that all but ended the game.
The Rams won their second Super Bowl and first while based in Los Angeles. The Bengals are now 0–3 in Super Bowl appearances and have lost each by a touchdown or less.
This title marked the first for most of the Rams’ core, including Stafford, Donald, Kupp, Jalen Ramsey and head coach Sean McVay, among others.
All the win-now moves paid off. Flags fly forever.
The Bengals, meanwhile, are ahead of schedule and clearly know what they need to focus on: their offensive line.
They survived a nine-sack game by the Titans, but couldn’t pull off this upset while allowing seven sacks. The core of Burrow, Ja'Marr Chase (5 catches, 89 yards) and Tee Higgins (4 catches, 100 yards, 2 touchdowns) will likely have the Bengals in yearly contention. They just need to make sure they can protect Burrow.
In terms of betting: The Bengals covered (-110), the under of 48.5 cashed (-110) and the Rams won on the moneyline (-213).
The best bet builder at SI Sportsbook cashed at +510 odds that the Rams would win, cover 2.5 points in the half and Kupp would score 2+ touchdowns.
Stafford cashed the over on most of his props, while Burrow’s unders cashed. Higgins and Chase cashed the overs on their receiving props, while Kupp and Beckham (unfortunately an injury ended his game) cashed the unders on their receiving yards.
And for those interested in the Gatorade color novelty prop: Blue!
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