On Sunday Jan. 30, both the Cincinnati Bengals and the Los Angeles Rams beat their opponents in the AFC and NFC Championship games to advance to Super Bowl LVI, which will be played at 4:30 p.m. Feb. 13 at SoFi stadium in Inglewood, California.
Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow is the first quarterback that was selected as the first pick overall in the NFL draft to advance to the Super Bowl in only their second year.
The Bengals beat the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium to win the AFC Championship title. The Bengals had a slow start and it led to them being down 21-3.
The Bengals then scored 21 unanswered points and forced the Chiefs to answer back. After Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker kicked a 44-yard field goal the game went into overtime.
The Chiefs won the toss and elected to receive the ball so they could hopefully score a touchdown and end the game. However, Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes threw an interception on the third play of their one and only overtime possession.
After forcing a turnover, the Bengals took advantage and kicker Evan McPherson kicked a 31-yard field goal to help send his team to the Super Bowl. McPherson is currently perfect in the postseason and has helped his team with game winning field goals the last two rounds.
The final score of the game was 27-24.
The Rams snapped the six-game losing streak they had against the San Francisco 49ers to become the NFC Champions.
This is Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford’s first season with this team after spending the first 12 years of his career with the Detroit Lions. This is also his first time reaching the Super Bowl in his career.
However, this is Rams Head Coach Sean McVay’s second time in his five-year career as head coach helping lead his team to the Super Bowl. He previously led his team there where they lost to the Patriots in Super Bowl LII.
The Rams faced some struggles throughout the game early on as the 49ers defense managed to apply pressure to Stafford. But one of the players who helped the Rams out like he has all season is wide receiver Cooper Kupp.
Kupp led the team in receiving yards with 142 yards and two touchdowns to help his team win. The Rams managed to come back and win the game after being down 10 points at the start of the fourth quarter.
The Rams sealed its win over the 49ers when Rams linebacker Travin Howard intercepted 49er quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo’s pass intended for his running back in a last-second effort to avoid being sacked.
After that fatal play from Garoppolo, the Rams were able to get into victory formation and secure their trip to the Super Bowl and avoid overtime.
The final score was 20-17.
The Rams opened as –4.5 point favorites to beat the Bengals in the Super Bowl. This will be their first time meeting this season as they have not played each other since 2019.
The Bengals have been to the Super Bowl twice but have never won, meanwhile the Rams have competed four times but have only claimed one title.
The halftime show for Super Bowl LVI includes Eminem, Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre, Mary J. Blige, and Kendrick Lamar.
Stats provided by ESPN.
Emily Autumn Velasquez is the sports editor and can be reached at [email protected]; @emilyautumn20 on Twitter.
