Los Angeles wins Super Bowl LVI with a late touchdown

Quarterback Matthew Stafford's short pass to Cooper Kupp with less than two minutes left gave the Rams the win for good.

• By Emma Bowman/NPR and Peter Granitz/NPR

(Inglewood, CA) — The Los Angeles Rams won’t have to travel far to enjoy a celebratory Super Bowl victory parade. The Rams rallied for a late touchdown to defeat the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, 23-20, marking the second straight year a team won the Super Bowl on its home field.

The championship capped a triumphant return to Los Angeles for the Rams, which won its only other Super Bowl as the St. Louis Rams in 2000. And the team’s home field at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif., also hosted a halftime show that featured a hip hip with a West Coast flair.

The Rams needed more than 59 minutes to seal the victory in Super Bowl LVI, with Cooper Kupp, the game’s most valuable player, catching a short touchdown pass from quarterback Matthew Stafford with 1.25 left to play. That put the Rams on top – again – and for the final time.

L.A. started off the game strong. Wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. scored the first touchdown off a pass from Stafford, giving the Rams an early lead. But the Bengals kept the game close and took the lead on the first offensive play of the second half. Quarterback Joe Burrow hurled a deep throw to wide receiver Tee Higgins, who leapt for the catch and fended off Jalen Ramsey to score a 75-yard touchdown, putting the Bengals ahead 16-13. Replays showed Higgins grabbed Ramsey by the face mask and turned his head, a penalty that was not called.

“I’m so proud of this group,” said Sean McVay, the Rams head coach in a post-game interview.

That group was assembled quickly: The Rams traded for Stafford, who had played for the Detroit Lions, last off season. They signed Beckham Jr. in November. Both added to an offense that revolved around Kupp, who led the regular season in yards, touchdowns and receptions. The team also added veteran linebacker Von Miller in November, who helped defensive tackle Aaron Donald pressure Cincinnati. Donald stopped Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow on the game’s last drive to cap the win.

The Rams sacked Burrow a Super Bowl record-tying seven times.

California love

The game’s halftime show, at times, felt like an homage to golden era of West Coast rap, with Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre performing the 2Pac song ‘California Love’ — fitting for Los Angeles, where the Rams played for five decades before decamping for St. Louis.

The two were joined by fellow Southern California artist Kendrik Lamaar, as well as New Yorkers Mary J. Blige, 50 Cent, and Detroit’s Eminem. NPR television critic Eric Deggans called the show “the most Black-centered halftime show in Super Bowl history.”