The Rams win their first title in LA in 70 years – and do it at home – beating the Cincinnati Bengals 23-20 after Super Bowl MVP Cooper Kupp’s late TD catch

In a venue built for champions, the Los Angeles Rams took home the crown jewel: a Super Bowl trophy.

It took a precise 79-yard drive capped by Cooper Kupp’s 1-yard touchdown reception with a 1:25 margin to win Sunday 23-20 over the Cincinnati Bengals to give Rams their first NFL title since the 1999 season – and their first Los Angeles representation since 1951.

“Those guys did a great job,” said coach Sean McVay. “They took over that game.”

They did it at their home, the $5 billion SoFi Stadium, making the Rams the second consecutive host to win the championship after the Tampa Bay Buccaneers became the first team a year ago.

“About the construction of this stadium,” said Rams owner Stan Kroenke, who moved them back from St. Louis in 2016, said, “I think it’s all right.”

The winning streak, in which Super Bowl MVP Kupp received a 4-yard touchdown from Matthew Stafford nullified with penalties, ended shortly thereafter with NFL Offensive Player of the Year easily beating Eli Apple in the right corner of the end zone to win score.

Kupp had four receptions for 39 yards and ran 7 yards in 4th and 1st from the Rams 30 on the championship track.

“I don’t feel worthy of this,” Kupp said. “The people standing here challenging me, they pushed me. I’m so grateful. ”

Even with that brilliant, decisive march to the Lombardi Trophy, it was LA’s “scary quartet” that made the difference. Led by Aaron Donald and Von Miller, they robbed Joe Burrow’s Super Bowl record seven times, stopped Cincinnati’s offense after the Bengals took the lead and then added a goal in the game. Match lasts 22 seconds to start the second half.

Confusingly, Burrow came under pressure in the 4th and 1st innings and failed to throw, ushering in a football the city hasn’t seen since the LA Raiders won the championship in 1983.

A tearful Donald said after achieving the highest of his career in the Hall of Fame: “I want it to be terrible. I dreamed of this.”

McVay, at 36, the youngest head coach to ever win a Super Bowl added: “To be able to make a mistake to be able to find a way, and then Aaron to be able to end it, is poetic, man.”

A quick 10 points at the start of the third inning gave the Bengals the lead for the first time. Tee Higgins’ 75-yard score made it 17-13 and was followed up a play later by Chidobe Awuzie’s pick. Evan McPherson tied Adam Vinatieri’s post-season record with his 14th goal, a 38-yard run.

Higgins beat All-Pro cornerback Jalen Ramsey in the first play of the second half – the receiver clearly pulled on Ramsey’s mask while playing. After Stafford was intercepted in the next game, the Bengals got a goal on McPherson’s field.

Then they tried to hold out as the entire southwestern Ohio held its breath.

But LA’s relentless passing pace – led by its two biggest stars, Donald and Miller, with two each – allows for nothing more.

Then came the 15-game march in which Kupp also moved fourth point down with his run.

“We want to be in attack mode and put as much pressure on them as we can,” said Bengals coach Zac Taylor. “Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t.”

Kupp won the MVP title despite frequent doubles after teammate Odell Beckham Jr – who had a touchdown in the Rams net to score the first point of the game – went out with a knee injury during second half. Kupp finished with eight hits in 92 yards.

One fear for the Rams’ followers is to get a shrewd shot by Stafford, and he gets two. His deep pass moving to the left was picked up in the final area late in the first half by Jessie Bates III. In the second intercept, rookie Ben Skowronek could only deflect – directly to Awuzie.

Aside from Matt Gay’s 41-yard goal later in the third inning, it was all defensive until the Rams worked relentlessly to win it.

Energized from the start, the crowd of 70,048 at the stadium opening in 2020 shouted at each team’s recommendation by The Rock. Then the Bengals fans, much larger than their Rams counterparts early on, were rocked when Trey Hendrickson fired Stafford, resulting in a hit.

LA’s defense responded by holding on to the third and fourth balls with half of the field to go in the middle of the field. Ernest Jones went down to head the pass for Ja’Marr Chase to cross, an excellent position to set the first touch of the ball.

Beckham, who joined the Rams in Week 10 after being exiled from Cleveland, easily beat Mike Hilton on a 17-yard corner in the third down. Beckham then shows off his moon walk in the end zone.

Kupp’s first touchdown, also on the third down, was a short pitch from Stafford, which he turned into a 20-yard pitch when Jessie Bates III tackled the tackle. It won’t be the Bengals’ last push, and it cost them dearly late in the game.

The hottest game of this Super Bowl, Offensive Rookie of the Year Chase of the Year with All-Pro Ramsey, got really hot at the end of the opening quarter. Chase brilliantly tracked Burrow’s throw-in and made a one-handed catch over Ramsey to give LA a 46-yard win. The drive didn’t go any further and rookie McPherson remained the same. Complete his spotless goalscoring record post-season with a 29-yard player.

Unlike the Bengals, the Rams turned their first big games into knockdowns. Beckham took advantage of two clashing defenders to go 35 yards ahead on his next shot, Darrell Henderson was 25 while being covered by Hendrickson and backed off – eh? – and Kupp opened wide in the right corner of the final zone to score his goal from the penalty spot.

“It happens with this team and the way we prepare, the way we love each other, the way we trust each other,” Kupp said.

However, as it had been in the knockout stages, the Bengals responded with a 75-yard drive limited by Joe Mixon’s cunning. He ran so efficiently that the second man was sucked in when Burrow served, and Mixon maneuvered a six-yard TD pass to Higgins.

It remained 13-10 until halftime, with Beckham’s left knee injury being the most notable. He had to be helped off the field and did not return.