Super Bowl LVI took place on February 13, 2022, at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. The game was between the Los Angeles Rams and Cincinnati Bengals. It marked the second time that a team played the Super Bowl in its home stadium, and the first time that it happened in front of a capacity crowd.
The Los Angeles Rams had gone 1-3 in Super Bowl appearances, winning their lone championship in the 1999 NFL season. The Rams came up short in Super Bowl LIII, three years prior to facing the Bengals in the big game. Cincinnati was in search of its first championship, losing both of its trips to the Super Bowl against the San Francisco 49ers in the 1980s.
The Los Angeles Rams were projected to win by a little more than a field goal, according to the betting odds. This article will give details about how both teams got to the big game, how the champion won and the final score, how many people watched the Super Bowl and even what happened during the halftime show.
A 12-5 record in the 2021 season was good enough for Los Angeles to win the NFC West and secure the No. 4 seed in the conference. After blowing out the Arizona Cardinals 34-11 at home on Wild-Card Weekend, the Rams upset Tom Brady and the defending champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers 30-27. Los Angeles narrowly avoided a monumental collapse, blowing a 24-point second-half lead before kicking a game-winning field goal as time expired. In the NFC Championship Game, the Rams scored 13 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to beat the San Francisco 49ers 20-17. San Francisco defeated Los Angeles twice in the regular season.
The Rams’ went all-in on the 2021 season and it paid off. Los Angeles upgraded at quarterback, trading Jared Goff and draft picks for Matthew Stafford. Stafford threw for 4,886 yards and 41 touchdowns. Cooper Kupp had maybe the best wide receiver season ever, leading the league with 145 receptions, 1,947 yards and 16 touchdowns. Three-time Defensive Player of the Year Aaron Donald and All-Pro cornerback Jalen Ramsey led the defense. As far as top-tier talent went, the Rams were unmatched.
With a 10-7 record in the 2021 season, the Bengals had one of the greatest turnarounds in the last several years. Cincinnati was a Super Bowl long shot to start the season. A six-win improvement gave the Bengals the AFC North title, rebounding from three straight last-place finishes. Head coach Zac Taylor was 6-25-1 in his first two seasons with Cincinnati. Everything changed with Joe Burrow’s first complete NFL season.
Burrow’s rookie season was cut short by a knee injury, but he returned to lead all AFC quarterbacks with a 108.3 passer rating. Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd provided Burrow with maybe the league’s best trio of receivers. The No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 draft showed a knack for making big plays. Burrow led the Bengals to three straight one-score victories in the playoffs, including an overtime win in Kansas City that featured an 18-point comeback.
Neither the Los Angeles Rams nor the Cincinnati Bengals brought their A Game to the Super Bowl. Each team had their chances to pull away from the opponent and failed to do so. It wasn’t always pretty, but the end result was a back-and-forth affair that came down to the wire.
The game started with the Cincinnati Bengals winning the coin toss and deferring so the Los Angeles Rams would receive the opening kickoff.
First Half
The Rams led the Bengals 7-3 at the end of the first quarter. Los Angeles took advantage of a short field that was provided by Cincinnati’s failed fourth-down attempt at midfield on their first drive of the game. Stafford connected with Odell Beckham Jr. for a 17-yard touchdown pass. The Bengals answered with a field goal shortly before the opening quarter ended.
When Kupp caught an 11-yard touchdown pass early in the second quarter, it looked like the Benglals might be in some trouble. Los Angeles botched the extra point for a 13-3 lead. Cincinnati’s next drive lasted 12 plays and ended with running back Joe Mixon tossing an 11-yard touchdown pass to Higgins.
With the Rams looking to build on their 13-10 lead, Beckham’s day ended because of a leg injury that appeared to turn the tide in favor of Cincinnati. Beckham had two catches for 52 yards and was responsible for much of Los Angeles’ offensive production. The drive ended when Bengals safety Jessie Bates intercepted Stafford. The score remained 13-10 in favor of Los Angeles at halftime.
Second Half
The loss of Beckham took the wind out of the Rams’ sails, and the Bengals pounced on their opponent to start the third quarter. Another Stafford interception was sandwiched in between a pair of Cincinnati scoring drives that gave the Bengals 20-13 lead, though it didn’t come without controversy.
Tee Higgins seemed to get away with a clear facemask penalty, sending Ramsey to the ground just before making a 75-yard touchdown grab on the first play from scrimmage in the second half. On the Rams’ first play after falling behind 17-13, Stafford was picked off by cornerback Chidobe Awuzie. The Bengals only totaled 11 yards on eight plays, settling for a 38-yard field goal after Donald sacked Burrow on a 3rd-and-three at the Rams’ 11-yard-line,
Los Angeles’ defense would hold Cincinnati scoreless for the game’s final 35 minutes. The Rams made a field goal to cut the deficit to 20-16 a little less than midway through the third quarter. The next seven drives went nowhere, including four three-and-outs. Kupp ran the ball to convert a fourth down on the Rams’ 30-yard-line, kick-starting the game-winning drive. Kupp had four catches on the drive, capped off by a one-yard touchdown grab with 95 seconds left that put the Rams up for good. Donald threw Burrow to the ground and forced an incompletion on a fourth-and-one from the Rams’ 49-yard-line, effectively ending the game.
The Rams won Super Bowl LVI 23-20.
Wide receiver Cooper Kupp earned the Super Bowl MVP honors with eight receptions for 92 yards and two touchdowns.
A large portion of the Super Bowl audience is always more interested in the halftime show than the game itself. The Super Bowl LVI halftime show catered to fans of 1990s and early 2000s hip hop, featuring some of the era’s biggest stars.
Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem and Mary J. Blige headlined the show. 50 Cent made a surprise appearance, along with Anderson .Paak. Kendrick Lamar performed in the middle of the halftime show, as well.
It wouldn’t be a Super Bowl halftime show without a little bit of controversy, and not surprisingly, Eminem was at the center of it. The rapper took a knee on stage after performing “Lose Yourself” in an apparent act of solidarity with Colin Kaepernick. The 49ers quarterback started taking a knee during the 2016 season, and he never played in the NFL again after becoming a free agent in 2017.
The halftime show took place at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. The show itself was well-received by audiences. With a collection of some of the biggest musical artists of the last 30 years, the show didn’t disappoint.
Super Bowl LVI had an average of 101.1 million viewers on TV and another 11.2 million viewers on streaming devices. The total audience of 112.3 million people made it the most-watched Super Bowl in five years. Super Bowl LVI aired on NBC.
There were 70,048 fans in attendance to watch the Rams beat the Bengals in-person. The average ticket price was $6,217, though the most expensive tickets were going for north of $80,000.
The Los Angeles Rams Super Bowl LVI ring was made up of approximately 20 carats of white diamonds set on white and yellow gold, giving it the most carat weight of any championship ring in sports history. The ring was designed to look like SoFi Stadium. The 20 carats signified 2020, the year that the arena officially opened. The Vince Lombardi Trophy is on the face of the ring. The rings have a removable top, which reveals SoFi Stadium's bowl and the name of the player to whom each ring belongs.
Super Bowl LVI wasn’t one of the most well played matchups in the contest’s history, but it made for an exciting game. Stafford proved that he could be a championship-caliber quarterback with the right pieces around him, enhancing a potential Hall-of-Fame career. Sean McVay reminded the league that he’s one of the best coaches in football. The Rams were rewarded for mortgaging their future in the hopes of winning a Super Bowl.
