The Los Angeles Rams earned their appearance in Super Bowl LVI in poetic fashion, beating their rivals in the San Francisco 49ers in what ended up being a thrilling NFC Championship Game.
The Rams went into the fourth trailing by 10 points, but Matthew Stafford and the defense rose to the occasion and made plays when the team needed them the most. It was the ending Los Angeles needed after losing their previous six matchups to San Francisco and now get a chance to validate all the moves they made in pursuit of winning a Super Bowl.
Los Angeles is well-known for being a championship town, especially after the Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Dodgers brought home titles in 2020. Perhaps no athlete in L.A. history personified winning more than Lakers legend Kobe Bryant and Cooper Kupp and Odell Beckham Jr. made sure to pay homage to him before the game, via the Rams’ official Twitter:
Lookin’ fresh, fellas.@CooperKupp 🤝 @Ty_Higs19 pic.twitter.com/fdlLSxWHTP
— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) January 30, 2022
Mamba mentality. pic.twitter.com/OU7s2NYYyY
— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) January 30, 2022
Even after his tragic passing, Bryant continues to be an inspiration and source of motivation for athletes across all sports and it is fitting that Kupp and Beckham honored him prior to their biggest game of the year up to that point. Kupp and Beckham ended up combining for 20 receptions, 255 yards, and two touchdowns, performances Bryant would have surely commended given what was at stake.
The Rams now have an opportunity to add themselves to the list of teams to win a championship in Los Angeles with Super Bowl LVI set to take place on Feb. 13 in their own home at SoFi Stadium. L.A. has been starved for a Super Bowl for decades, but the Rams could end that drought and endear itself to the city just like Bryant did during his time with the Lakers.
As Bryant said though, the job is not finished as the Rams still have to beat the Cincinnati Bengals and Joe Burrow to win it all.
