For those who caught a glimpse of last Sunday’s Super Bowl, the reality after the hard-fought game was that Joe Burrow was no Super Bowl champion…at least, not yet. After 60 in-game minutes full of beautiful bombs, playcalling and controversial calls (or the lack thereof), the football season was over.
To understand this momentous occasion beyond the surface-level, it is important to examine the events leading up to the matchup before delving into the game itself.
Out of 32 teams in the NFL, the Cincinnati Bengals ranked 28th in their total regular season record within the past five years. To jump from a history of surviving, to now thriving, one must look at their field general, Joe Burrow. Joe Burrow was the number one pick of the 2020 draft, putting automatic pressure on him. He went through his rookie season at a decent individual pace but eventually it was cut short by simultaneously torn ACL and MCLs. He was determined though, and bounced back the following season to a 10–6 record, as well as earning AP Comeback Player of the Year honors. With a healthy Joe Mixon and offseason acquisitions, such as Eli Apple, Trey Hendrickson and Chidobe Awuzie, the Bengals grinded through the playoffs to make their first Super Bowl appearance in 23 years.
This Super Bowl has been four years in the making for the Rams. Ever since their grueling loss to the New England Patriots in 2019, head coach Sean McVay has had his eyes set upon this moment. On the other hand, there is Matthew Stafford. No offense to Lions’ fans, but this is not an opportunity that Stafford probably ever imagined in his years of monotony as the Detroit Lions’ franchise quarterback. As many have seen on social media, Stafford, in polar opposition to his counterpart, is the oldest first-overall pick to ever appear in the Super Bowl. The epitome of statistical consistency, Stafford provided the Rams the offensive foundation that they had been looking for to replace the sporadic Jared Goff, in addition to their recent addition of a hungry Odell Beckham Jr. — not to ignore that Rams have players like cornerback Jalen Ramsey and future-hall-of-famer Aaron Donald to hold down the defense, alongside a newly acquired former-Super Bowl MVP Von Miller. These two teams have their own various reasons for why they belonged in this Super Bowl, but now it’s time to actually analyze what unfolded when they crossed paths.
The Los Angeles Rams went into the Super Bowl riddled with injuries. While many of their wounded did play, they were left without their consistent tight end, Tyler Higbee. To begin the game, the Rams went through the motions of a disappointing three-and-out drive. After marching down the field in response, Joe Burrow and the Bengals had to settle for a field-goal from their stud of a kicker, Evan McPherson. Matthew Stafford proceeded to lead his Rams to another touchdown, but a botched extra-point led to an awkward 13–3 lead, as opposed to what usually would have been an 11-point difference. The Bengals made sure to take advantage of this shortcoming. In a Philly Special-esque move, Bengals’ running back Joe Mixon propelled a perfect lob to wide-receiver Tee Higgens for a momentum-changing six points plus the point after. To add insult to injury, Stafford ended the first half with an INT. This provided the Bengals with a fresh and uplifted mindset going into the second half, especially since the Bengals got to start the second half.
Right off the bat, Joe “Shiesty” Burrow launched a 75-yard bomb for Tee Higgens (with the help of a no-call face-mask), enabling him to become reacquainted with the endzone for another six points. To make matters worse for the home team, Stafford proceeded to give the Bengals another interception off of a deflected catch. Unfortunately, Stafford did not have Beckham Jr. to rely on for a huge portion of the game, as he went down with a game-ending injury in the second quarter.
For most teams in the same position as the Rams, it would be hard to recover, but Stafford had his old reliable in Cooper Kupp, the 2021–22 Offensive Player of the Year. Within the final few minutes of the game, Stafford connected with Kupp to take the lead 23–20. Still with enough time for a game-winning drive, Burrow attempted to retaliate but found himself helpless. Behind his weak offensive line, Aaron Donald iced the game by sacking Burrow on fourth down.
As a result of his late-game heroics, and early-game Cooper Kupp received Super Bowl MVP honors. As ESPN reported in a tweet following the game, Kupp joined Jerry Rice as the only wide-receiver to receive the triple-crown, Offensive Player of the Year and Super Bowl MVP. Rice did this within the length of his entire career — Kupp did it in one season.
The future is clear for the Bengals: they will be fighting for this opportunity again next year, hungrier than ever. Burrow will return, and next time, he will return with a fanbase intent on seeing him carry out his full potential on the field. In contrast, the Rams have to manage the looming retirement of Andrew Whitworth, as well as the potential retirement of Aaron Donald, a star player in this past Super Bowl, and a key figure throughout all of the recent season. The Rams have the talent to attempt a title defense, but Donald would be a particularly major loss for Los Angeles as they will now be defending the national title. Nevertheless, this Super Bowl was everything a fan could want. It made us experience sadness, happiness, excitement and now anticipation for what next season has in store.
