Los Angeles Rams Super Bowl 56 Win Takeaways
Super Bowl 56 is in the books, and it was as entertaining and hotly-contested as many had expected with the Los Angeles Rams winning by a final score of 23-20 over the Cincinnati Bengals. As such, let’s relive the biggest moments from the final game of the football season before we gear up for the busy NFL offseason ahead.
NitroBetting is ready to equip its bettors with the latest news, odds, and previews for the entirety of the NFL season’s calendar. This time, let’s take a look at our top five takeaways from the Los Angeles Rams’ win over the Cincinnati Bengals in Super Bowl 56.
Takeaways from Rams Win vs. Bengals in Super Bowl 56
READ MORE: Can the Los Angeles Rams Repeat as Super Bowl Champions in 2023?
Back-to-Back Super Bowl Wins for the Home Team
For the second straight year, the winner of the Super Bowl went to the hosting city, as the Los Angeles Rams joined the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the previous season to pull off such a feat. The Rams’ victory in SoFi Stadium will be remembered by LA football fans for years to come and this win will likely draw many new followers for the former St. Louis-based franchise.
Super Bowl 57 next season will be held at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, which means it’s the Arizona Cardinals’ turn to keep this unusual trend at the Super Bowl going. The Cardinals aren’t longshots whatsoever in accomplishing that lofty goal, especially if Arizona QB Kyler Murray takes his game to the next level and gets some help during the offseason.
Rams D the Real MVP
With team-highs of eight catches, 92 receiving yards, and two receiving touchdowns, LA’s top wideout Cooper Kupp is very much deserving of winning the Super Bowl MVP Award. However, those were relatively meager numbers for the reigning NFL Offensive Player of the Year and the real reason that the Rams won the game is because of its imposing defense.
LA’s defense sacked Cincinnati’s Joe Burrow seven times, tying Burrow with Roger Staubach for most sacks taken during the Super Bowl. The Rams’ front seven also held the Bengals’ rushing attack to just 79 yards on 20 carries and had key stops on 3rd-and-1 and 4th-and-1 during Cincinnati’s last offensive possession down a field goal.
Aaron Donald and Von Miller each finished the game with two sacks apiece as the linchpins of Los Angeles’ stop unit. They’ve both had their fair share of individual accolades in previous seasons, but a title-winning effort is much sweeter than those individual awards. Especially for Donald, who’s been named Defensive Player of the Year three times and has finally won a Lombardi Trophy after eight tremendous seasons in the league.
Roller Coaster of Emotions for OBJ
Tears were flowing down Odell Beckham Jr.’s face when the Rams had sealed the deal in the fourth quarter, and we couldn’t blame him for showing a ton of emotion after having such an impact in the contest; for better and for worse.
Beckham hauled in the opening touchdown of the game in the first quarter thanks to a crisp pass from Matthew Stafford. However, he’d later be taken out of the game after suffering a freak non-contact knee injury to slightly limit the Rams’ passing offense before Kupp got the ball rolling in the second half. OBJ’s tremendous start wasn’t squandered in the end, as he can now call himself a Super Bowl champion after seven and a half frustrating seasons with the Giants and the Browns organizations.
A Super Bowl Not Without Controversy
Cincinnati’s go-ahead touchdown of Super Bowl 56 was a 75-yard bomb from Burrow to receiver Tee Higgins to put the Bengals up by four points in the third quarter. However, that pass should’ve been called back as the officials failed to see Higgins’ facemask of Rams corner Jalen Ramsey during the play.
Then, with the Rams still trailing by four points late in the fourth quarter, several flags were thrown during LA’s game-winning scoring drive, with most of those penalties working in favor of the Rams. Perhaps the refs were a little too flag-happy during that drive to sort of make-up for the blown call from earlier, but we’re still glad that the laundry wasn’t tossed around willy-nilly for the majority of the contest as there were only six penalties called in the entire game.
A Star-Studded Halftime Show
Another milestone was set during Super Bowl 56’s Halftime Show as for the first time ever, rap/hip-hop artists headlined the program’s festivities. The likes of Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Kendrick Lamar, Eminem, and Mary J. Blige each got their moment to shine during their nostalgic medley playing some of their respective biggest hits in small sample sizes.
There were even more surprises for fans of the genre, as 50 Cent also made a surprise appearance that was not advertised in the lead-up to the big game. Heck, even rising soul artist Anderson .Paak had a brief cameo as the drummer during Eminem’s set to round out one of the most prolific Super Bowl Halftime Shows in terms of the sheer volume of musical talents simultaneously involved.
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