The Superbowl matchup is set. Congrats to the Cincinnati Bengals and the Los Angeles Rams for being the last two squads standing. Both these teams had to overcome some adversity on Championship Sunday to make it down to the final two. We’ll have plenty of time to dissect the matchup between the Bengals and Rams, but let’s look at how these two teams got to the Super Bowl.
Bengals vs Chiefs:
Things started bad for the Bengals in Arrowhead Stadium on Sunday. Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs’ offense was clicking on all cylinders as they scored touchdowns on their first three possessions. The Chiefs took a 21-3 lead with 5:04 left in the 2nd quarter. Desperate for a score, Bengals’ quarterback Joe Burrow went to work. Burrow led Cincinnati on a seven-play 70-yard drive capped off by a 41-yard touchdown pass to Semaje Perine.
The next series is where the game really swung. Mahomes led the Chiefs down the field quickly and were inside the 10-yard line with 13 seconds left. After a pass interference call on Eli Apple put the ball on the 1-yard line the Chiefs had an opportunity to push their lead to 28-10, but the pass was incomplete. Instead of kicking the field goal Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes decided to try to score a TD. When Mahomes dropped back his initial read wasn’t there and instead of throwing the ball away he threw the ball to Tyreek Hill in the flat and he was tackled short of the end-zone as the clock ran out on the first half.
The Bengals cut the lead to 21-13 and the next series BJ Hill picked off Mahomes, setting up the Bengals at the Chiefs’ 27-yard line. It wouldn’t take long for Burrow to find Ja’Marr Chase for a touchdown and then convert the two-point conversion to tie the game at the end of the 3rd quarter.
Evan McPherson put the Chiefs ahead with a 52-yard field goal. Mahomes would put the Chiefs in position to score, but the Chiefs nearly squandered the game away – putting the ball on the ground, but were fortunate to recover. Harrison Butker’s 44-yard field goal attempt sent the game into overtime and it was deja-vu as the Chiefs won the coin toss. Many people thought we were going to see a repeat of the Bills game, but Patrick Mahomes forced a ball to Tyreek Hill in tight coverage and it was picked off by Vonn Bell. From there Joe Burrow marched the Bengals down the field and McPherson kicked a 31-yard field goal to send the Bengals to the Super Bowl. A remarkable achievement for a team that was 2-14 two seasons ago.
49ers vs Rams:
It was only right for the Rams to go through the 49ers to get to the Super Bowl. The 49ers had beaten the Rams six times in a row before the NFC Championship and 49ers fans made the NFC Championship game a road game for the Rams in their own stadium. Matthew Stafford had a lot of pressure on him to deliver in this post season given how much the Rams gave up to get him and he delivered Sunday.
Stafford brought the Rams back from a 17-7 2nd half deficit to beat the 49ers 20-17. Both defenses made it a priority to limit the running games, so the contest was going to come down to QB play. Stafford was 31-45 for 337 yards and two touchdowns, while Jimmy Garoppolo was 1-6 in the 4th quarter.
Stafford was helped by Cooper Kupp and Odell Beckham. Kupp caught 11 passes for 142 yards and two touchdowns. Beckham caught 9 passes for 113 yards. Kupp’s second touchdown catch brought the Rams within three with 13 minutes to go. The next 49ers drive stalled and they were forced to punt the ball with 9:55 left in the game. The next possession started with a 29-yard pass to OBJ that was also helped by an unnecessary roughness penalty that added an additional 15 yards. The Rams would tie the game on a 49-yard field goal with 6:49 remaining.
The 49ers’ next possession was atrocious as Jimmy G threw three straight incomplete passes and only took 23 seconds off the clock. Stafford led the Rams on a 10-play drive to give LA a 20-17 lead leaving the 49ers fate in the hand of Jimmy G. Aaron Donald, who had been quiet most of the game, pressured Garoppolo who threw up a desperation heave that was intercepted – sending the Rams to the Super Bowl.
Quick Thoughts about the Super Bowl:
- The Bengals offensive line is going to have their hands full against Aaron Donald and Von Miller. How they protect Burrow will have a significant impact on the game.
- Is Jalen Ramsey going to cover Ja’Marr Chase straight up?
- If the Rams decide to double Ja’Marr Chase, how much of an impact will Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd have on the game?
- How will the Bengals’ secondary matchup against Cooper Kupp and Odell Beckham Jr?
- Is Stafford going to be the QB we’ve seen come up big in the last few playoff games or will he go back to some of his bad habits in the biggest game of his life?
UNC Continues to Shine into the Final Stretch