The Los Angeles Rams won their first Super Bowl in L.A. history as they beat the Cincinnati Bengals 23-20 at SoFi Stadium on Sunday led by the play of Matthew Stafford and Cooper Kupp.
The Rams were the favorites entering the game, but after Odell Beckham Jr. left with a knee injury and the Rams were trailing late in the fourth quarter, the team needed their stars to step up, and they did.
L.A. drove 79 yards in 15 plays to take the lead with Kupp catching the ball seven times on the drive, including the go-ahead touchdown. The win was sealed when Aaron Donald got pressure on Joe Burrow to force an incompletion on fourth down.
Kupp was named the Super Bowl MVP for his performance, becoming the eighth wide receiver to win the award in history and the first since Julian Edelman did it for the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LIII against the Rams.
Following the game, Kupp said he had a vision after the 2019 loss to the Patriots that showed him the Rams would get back to the game and win it while he takes home the Super Bowl MVP award, via Yahoo Sports:
“There was … there was a … in 2019, we walked off the field that last time after losing to the Patriots, I wasn’t able to be a part of that thing. I don’t know what it was, there was just this vision,” Kupp said. “I think God revealed to me that we were going to come back, we were going to be a part of a Super Bowl and win it. And somehow, somehow I was going to walk off the field as the MVP of the game.”
Kupp didn’t share his vision with any of his teammates but he said it helped keep him going in a season where many argued he should’ve been the NFL MVP over Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers and now-retired Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady:
“I shared that with my wife because I couldn’t tell anyone else, obviously, what that was,” Kupp said. “But from the moment this postseason started, there was a belief every game. It was written already. I just got to play free.”
Kupp finished the game with eight catches on 10 targets for 92 yards and two touchdowns and he was the only player on the team to catch more than four passes.
Donald enjoying victory before deciding on retirement
While Cooper Kupp was rightfully named MVP of the Super Bowl, L.A. would not have had a chance without the otherworldly play of Aaron Donald.
Donald — despite facing double and triple-teams for much of the game — was an absolute menace on the Rams’ defensive line. He finished with two sacks and three QB hits, including two game-winning defensive stops in the final minute.
On third and short, Donald held back running back Semaje Perine from securing a first down. Then, on fourth-and-one, Donald delivered a hit to quarterback Joe Burrow, forcing an incompletion and giving the Rams a Super Bowl victory.
All of this super-human play came amid rumors that Donald would seriously consider retirement if the Rams were able to win the Super Bowl. Given the result, Donald was asked about his playing future but said he just wants to enjoy the win.
