Odell Beckham Jr. broke down in tears as the confetti rained down on the Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams, who took a chance on the 29-year-old after he was cast aside by Cleveland. Aaron Donald let the tears flow, at a loss for words as he attempted to answer postgame questions. Eric Weddle strutted around
with a torn pec. Taylor Rapp dropped to a knee and
proposed to his girlfriend. Van Jefferson took off for the hospital to see his wife,
who went into labor mid-game. Sean McVay, soaked in blue Gatorade, ran around hugging and slapping the back of any player wearing blue and yellow pads.
These were the sights Sunday night after the Los Angeles Rams completed their 23-20 defeat of the Cincinnati Bengals. The game marked a legacy-changing event for many in attendance. Donald is a Super Bowl champion. So is Matthew Stafford. And Andrew Whitworth. Weddle is re-retiring, taking his first Lombardi and torn pec with him. First-Team All-Pros Cooper Kupp and Jalen Ramsey are also first-time Super Bowl champions.
McVay overcame his disastrous coaching performance from Super Bowl LIII and became the youngest coach to hoist the Lombardi Trophy. It truly was a night for legacies.
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Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford threw two interceptions in Super Bowl LVI, but he led a nearly five-minute scoring drive to take the lead with under two minutes remaining.
Recapping the game
The game unfolded in four stages. Los Angeles controlled the game’s pace and tempo out of the gate. The Rams built a 13-3 lead behind two Stafford touchdowns. McVay’s team had a chance to enter halftime with a two-score lead. Then the second stage kicked in and threatened everything.
Cincinnati seized control from the 12:51 mark in the second quarter until the 10:15 minute mark in the third quarter. During that time, Joe Mixon and Joe Burrow threw touchdowns to Tee Higgins, Beckham went down with a game-ending knee injury, and the Bengals intercepted two passes.
The ultimate blow that could’ve knocked Los Angeles out for good was a 75-yard touchdown to Higgins against Ramsey on the first offensive play of the second half. Stafford threw his second interception on Los Angeles’ next play. All of this led to a 20-13 lead for the Bengals.
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Luckily, Los Angeles answered with a field goal, making the game 20-16 before the third stage began. Seven consecutive punts slowed the game’s scoring pace as both defenses came alive. The Rams couldn’t run the ball or find anyone other than Kupp. Burrow spent most of his time running for his life or on his back.
In the fourth stage, the Rams received the ball with 6:13 remaining. Stafford and Kupp combined for a go-ahead score to take a 23-20 lead. Burrow had 1:25 to get in range for Evan McPherson, but Donald forced an incompletion on fourth and one from the Rams 49-yard line to end the game.
Previewing Super Bowl LVII
Next year’s Super Bowl takes place on Feb. 12 in Glendale, Arizona. It’s easy to predict some turnover in the top contenders, but we’ll see many teams with elite quarterbacks in their mid-20s continue to dominate the playoff landscape.
The AFC’s contenders in 2022 should look similar to this season’s group. Free agency could weaken some of the conference’s top contenders, but
the increasing salary cap creates wiggle room.
The Bills could lose Mario Addison, Jerry Hughes, Emmanuel Sanders, and Levi Wallace in free agency, but they have enough depth to fill those spots internally or through the draft. The Bengals and Chiefs stand to lose far more impactful players this offseason. Kansas City has at least six starters hitting the open market while Cincinnati has up to five, including former All-Pro safety Jessie Bates III.
Buffalo should enter 2022 with the advantage of still having Josh Allen on his rookie contract and plenty of in-house options. Next year might finally be the season Sean McDermott’s team breaks through to the Super Bowl.
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While the AFC’s big three seems consistent with 2021, the NFC could undergo a near-total overhaul. Tom Brady’s retirement combined with the predicted departures of nine starters in free agency puts Tampa Bay out of contention.
Green Bay falls in a similar bucket. Aaron Rodgers seems destined to request a trade, and Davante Adams is a free agent. The Buccaneers and Packers were the NFC’s top two seeds this season.
The void atop the NFC opens room for Los Angeles to repeat as NFC champions. However, the Rams could lose up to eight free agent starters, and recent rumors suggest
McVay could leave coaching for the broadcast booth. Retirements also loom for Andrew Whitworth and Eric Weddle.
Dallas might benefit the most from the chaos atop the NFC. With San Francisco lacking an elite quarterback, Russell Wilson’s future in Seattle in limbo, and Arizona suffering a free agent exodus, the Cowboys could have an easy path to the Super Bowl, as long as they don’t trip over their own feet.
The NFC West, which had three playoff teams this year, should dominate the new-look NFC. That division’s top three teams and Dallas should battle for the conference crown.
Coaching inadequacies in Arizona and Dallas and the quarterback situation in San Francisco leads me to believe Los Angeles will repeat as NFC champions.
Ultimately, I think we’ll see the Bills and Rams in Super Bowl LVII.
A brief look ahead
BetMGM released early odds
for the teams that could make the Super Bowl next year. Buffalo and Kansas City lead the way at +750. The Rams (+1100), Cowboys (+1200), and Bengals (+1200) are the only other teams below +1600 right now.
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