NFL Conference Review: Bengals and Rams Advance to Super Bowl

Folks in the NFL front office are glowing this morning after the AFC and NFC Conference Championships ended with three-point differences. Fans have witnessed one of the best two-week stretches in playoff history considering how close Sunday’s games turned out. The Cincinnati Bengals survived an overtime duel against Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs, while Matthew Stafford authored a comeback win against the San Francisco 49ers.

We’ve already previewed the Super Bowl LVI matchup. Today, we’ll review an exciting Conference Championship weekend, discussing the top storylines and performances from both games.

You can watch Super Bowl LVI on February 13 at 6:30 p.m. ET on NBC.

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The Cincinnati Bengals won at home against Kansas City in the regular season. Joe Burrow led his team to victory against Patrick Mahomes again, this time in front of Chiefs Kingdom in Kansas City.

NFL Conference Championship Recap

Joe Burrow rallies the Bengals

Cincinnati is one of 12 franchises in the NFL without a Super Bowl trophy. Burrow looks like he could change that in just his second season in the pros. The former Heisman Trophy winner endured going down 3-21 to Kansas City at one point during the Conference Championship, but that didn’t disrupt Joe Cool’s confidence. Cincinnati scored 21 unanswered points to take a 24-21 lead before the Chiefs tied the game with a field goal as time in regulation expired.

Kansas City won the coin toss in overtime, and the Chiefs fans reacted like they’d won the game. They expected Mahomes to lead their team down the field for a game-winning touchdown, but Cincinnati’s defense had other plans. Kansas City didn’t gain a yard in overtime, and Jessie Bates III made an incredible play that led to a Vonn Bell interception. Burrow calmly marched downfield, and Evan McPherson, who went 4-4 on field goal attempts, sent Cincinnati to the Super Bowl for the first time in over 30 years.

This young, gutsy Bengals team is entertaining to watch and seems to have no fear of failure. That mentality is massive on a stage like the Super Bowl.

Before continuing with the Conference Championship review, let’s check out the upcoming action across the league. 

Matthew Stafford wasn’t an NFL MVP candidate this year, but he’s been a massive difference-maker for the Rams this postseason. Los Angeles made the right move trading Jared Goff for the longtime Lion.

This is Matthew Stafford’s moment

The Los Angeles Rams lost twice to the 49ers during the 2021 NFL regular season. They traveled to San Francisco and lost 10-31 in the middle of the year and lost the season finale in a game where they blew a 17-point lead. Fans and analysts went into the NFC Championship Game believing Kyle Shanahan had Sean McVay’s number. It turns out that isn’t the case.

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Los Angeles had a chance to build a massive lead over the 49ers, but several mistakes put them behind 7-10 at halftime. Stafford threw an unlucky interception in the red zone, and Matt Gay missed a 54-yard field goal. Things got worse when the 49ers expanded their lead to 7-17 in the third quarter. Stafford and Cooper Kupp took over from that point.

Los Angeles responded to San Francisco’s touchdown with their own score. Stafford connected with Kupp three times on the drive. Aaron Donald and Jalen Ramsey rallied the troops on defense, forcing two consecutive punts. Those lost possessions resulted in two Rams field goals and a 20-17 lead in favor of Los Angeles. Stafford threw a couple of beautiful passes, but his receivers dropped potential touchdowns.

Kupp made up for one of those drops with two catches on Los Angeles’ final drive, which resulted in a 30-yard go-ahead field goal. San Francisco needed a big play, but Jimmy Garoppolo threw a desperate interception as he attempted to avoid a fatal sack. The Rams went to victory formation and clinched their second Super Bowl bid in the last five years.

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