The Sportsletter - The Hollywood Ending 🏈

BY JEFF YODER

FEB. 14, 2022  |  SUBSCRIBE  |  BROWSER VIEW

Welcome Back,

With a 4th-quarter comeback, the Los Angeles Rams are Super Bowl LVI champions! Stay tuned for the results of our Super Bowl LVI Prop Bets contest in tomorrow's edition alongside The Underdog feature on the Super Bowl MVP, Cooper Kupp.

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NFL

The Hollywood Ending 🏆

Photo: Ronald Martinez / Getty Images

Rams def. Bengals (23-20) on Game-Winning 4th-Quarter Drive to Win Super Bowl LVI

An ending fit for Hollywood! And the script couldn’t have been any sweeter. The Los Angeles Rams are the champions of Super Bowl LVI after Sunday’s thrilling finale to the NFL season came down to the wire. It’s the franchise’s first Super Bowl title since 1999 when the team was located in St. Louis. It’s also the first Lombardi Trophy for the city of L.A. since the Raiders won it in 1984.

How Super Bowl LVI Was Won

The Rams struck first and amassed a 13-3 advantage in the second quarter before the Bengals took control of the game. Cincinnati quarterback Joe Burrow found Tee Higgins for a touchdown just before halftime, and Cincinnati came out firing to open the second half. On the first play of the third quarter, Burrow hit Higgins again for a 75-yard touchdown with a controversial missed penalty for offensive pass interference. A quick interception and a field goal put the Bengals up 20-13 and looking for the knockout punch. It never came…

Photo: Wally Skalij / Getty Images

After a Rams’ field goal closed the gap to 20-16, Matthew Stafford engineered a 15-play, 79-yard drive in the final six minutes and change. It ended with Stafford finding WR Cooper Kupp in the end zone for the would-be game-winner with 1:25 left to play.

Cooper Kupp Wins MVP

Kupp’s big catch was his second trip to paydirt in Super Bowl LVI. He finished the game with eight receptions for 92 yards and 2 touchdowns en route to winning Super Bowl MVP. He’s just the eighth wide receiver to win the award.

Fun Fact: Cooper Kupp won offensive player of the year, the receiving triple crown (receptions, yards and touchdowns) and a Super Bowl MVP all in one season. The only other receiver to accomplish those feats in an entire career was Jerry Rice.

Photo: Ronald Martinez / Getty Images

Aaron Donald Seals It With A Ring

Trailing 23-20, the Bengals got the ball back with hopes an overtime-forcing field goal. Burrow and company marched to midfield before a fourth-down pass rush by Aaron Donald forced the game-sealing incompletion. Donald, arguably one of the greatest defensive lineman in NFL history, pointed to his ring finger to start the celebration. Ball game, Rams.

QB Comparison

M. Stafford (LAR): 26/40, 283 yards, 3 TDs, 2 INTs

J. Burrow (CIN): 22/33, 263 yards, 1 TD

Other Top Performers

DL Aaron Donald (LAR): 4 tackles, 2 sacks

RB Joe Mixon (CIN): 15 carries, 72 yards

WR Tee Higgins (CIN): 4 receptions, 100 yards, 2 TDs

DL Logan Wilson (CIN): 9 tackles, 3 tackles for loss

Sean McVay & Matthew Stafford

Head coach Sean McVay and his star quarterback stand at the top of the NFL after just one season together. McVay had taken the Rams to the Super Bowl before, but trading QB Jared Goff to Detroit for Stafford in the offseason proved to be the missing piece. Stafford spent 11 seasons with the Lions and never won a playoff game. One season in L.A.? One Lombardi Trophy.

Watch: Rams def. Bengals to Win Super Bowl LVI (23-20)

That’s a wrap on the 2021-22 NFL season. Congratulations to the Super Bowl champions, the Los Angeles Rams! Check back tomorrow for the results of our Super Bowl LVI Prop Bets contest and The Underdog feature on the Super Bowl LVI MVP, Cooper Kupp.

Additional Storylines

FOX Sports: Super Bowl LVI Top Plays: Rams Top Bengals

CBS Sports: Rams Rally to Win First Super Bowl in 22 Years

USA Today: Cooper Kupp, Once Ignored, Dominates Biggest Moment of Biggest Game

Yahoo! Sports: Grading the Best & Worst Commercials at the Big Game

ESPN: Chiefs, Bills Open With Best Odds to Win Super Bowl LVII

SI: Super Bowl Takeaways: Stafford-to-Kupp on Epic Drive, Donald Closes It Out

NBA

The New Points King 👑

Photo: Ronald Martinez / Getty Images

LeBron James Passes Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to Become NBA’s All-Time Leading Scorer

Move over, Kareem. There’s a new point king in the NBA record books. LeBron James needed 19 points on Saturday against the Warriors to pass Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the all-time NBA scoring record (44,150 points) — both regular season and playoffs — although he’s 2,000 points behind in regular-season scoring. James hit a 3 late in the first half for the record-breaking moment, but it was the Warriors who won, 117-115. LeBron finished with 26 points, 15 rebounds and eight assists.

Watch: LeBron James Becomes NBA’s All-Time Leading Scorer

Top NBA Weekend Performers

L. Doncic (DAL): 45 pts, 15 rebs, 8 asts

J. Embiid (PHI): 40 pts, 14 rebs, 10 asts

D. DeRozan (CHI): 38 pts, 6 rebs, 5 asts

D. Murray (SA): 32 pts, 10 rebs, 15 asts

T. Rozier (CHA): 35 pts, 10 rebs, 9 asts

WINTER OLYMPICS

Medal Count 🏅

Norway (21)

ROC (18)

United States (15)

Canada (15)

Germany (14)

Austria (14)

Netherlands (12)

Sweden (11)

France (11)

Italy (11)

Japan (11)

Full Medal Count | Olympics News & Updates

🎥THE HIGHLIGHTS

🏒  NHL: Skinner Nets 4 for Sabres

Jeff Skinner scored four goals in the weekend’s top NHL performance. Skinner’s Sabres beat the Canadiens (5-3).

⛳️  PGA: Scheffler Gets 1st Win in Phoenix

Scottie Scheffler (-16) claimed his first PGA Tour victory at the WM Phoenix Open by beating Patrick Cantlay (-16) with a birdie in the third hole of a sudden death playoff.

📰 THE HEADLINES

49ers Network Hit By Gang’s Ransomware Attack

(ESPN)

Former NFL Running Back Adrian Peterson Arrested on Domestic Violence Charges

(Bleacher Report)

Colts Likely to Trade or Release QB Carson Wentz

(CBS Sports)

Snowfall in Beijing Causes Panic for Olympic Organizers

(Yahoo! Sports)

Erin Jackson Becomes First Black Woman to Win Speedskating Gold Medal

(SI)

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