It has taken 21 weeks of great (and sometimes not-so-great) football action, but we now know the participants of Super Bowl LVI in Los Angeles. In a matchup I doubt anyone saw coming a few weeks ago, the Cincinnati Bengals will face off against the Los Angeles Rams. It should be a good game and I am looking forward to it.
Congrats to both squads and if you are a fan of one of these teams I wish you good luck. But I'm wishing more luck to the Bengals. The Bengals have never won the Super Bowl and I like to see a team finally get the big win. Plus my brother has been a Bengals fan for over 40 years, he deserves to finally be paid off for the years of misery the Bengals have laid upon him.
Well it's time to talk about how each time earned their place in the big game. Just remember I am a Dallas Cowboys fan and I'm extremely biased. Feel free to agree or disagree about anything mentioned here. All comments are welcome.
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Bengals 27 Chiefs 24 OT
The Bengals and Chiefs had already faced off once this this season, back in Week 17 in Cincinnati. In that game the Chiefs raced out to a big lead in the first half while the Bengals managed to just hang around. In the second half it was a totally different ballgame as the Bengals came alive on offense and their defense shut down the Chiefs. The Bengals stunned the Chiefs 34-31 to capture the AFC North Division title. Surely we would see something different in the AFC Championship game in Kansas City, right?
Nope. It was almost déjà vu. The game script played out almost exactly the same, except this time the game wasn’t decided until overtime. You got to love this Bengals team. They know nobody has expected them to get this far, it’s like they are playing with house money.
The Chiefs came out of the gate hot. They scored a TD on their first three possessions and held a 21-3 lead with 5 minutes left in the 2nd quarter. It certainly looked like a blowout was in the making. Then the Bengals showed a little life finally on offense. They moved the ball to the Chiefs 41-yard line with a few passes by Joe Burrow. Facing a 2nd and 12, Burrow threw a screen pass to Samaje Perine. Perine broke through the KC defense for a 41-yard TD to cut the Bengals deficit to 21-10.
However there was still a minute left in the half. The Bengals hadn’t stopped the Chiefs all day and we saw last week what Patrick Mahomes could do in only 13 seconds. Mahomes started dropping dimes and quickly moved the Chiefs to the Bengals 15-yard line. A pass interference penalty gave the Chiefs the ball on the 1-yard line with 9 seconds left. Out of timeouts, the Chiefs had a little time to try to pass for the TD before a field goal attempt. Mahomes first attempt was incomplete and took 4 seconds off the clock. Andy Reid figured KC had time for one more pass attempt. Mahomes dropped back and threw the ball to Tyreek Hill at the 2-yard line. He managed to get back to the line of scrimmage before being tackled. The clock ran out and Kansas City lost a golden opportunity to put at least three points on the board. That poor clock management came back to haunt them. The score remained 21-10 going into the break.
The defenses took over in the 3rd quarter as the period started off with several punts. The Bengals broke through first, driving down into the red zone late in the quarter. The Chiefs defense stiffened up and held Cincy to a field goal. The Bengals now trailed 21-13. The Chiefs got the ball back for the 3rd time in the quarter and tried to find some mojo on offense as the Bengals were beginning to close in. Instead Patrick Mahomes threw an interception and the Bengals took possession on the Chiefs 32-yard line.
It only took five plays for the Bengals to find the endzone as Joe Burrow hit Ja’Marr Chase with a 2-yard TD pass. The Bengals went for two and converted. The game was now tied at 21-21 at the end of the 3rd quarter.
The Chiefs had the ball to start off the 4th quarter, but a sack of Mahomes left them punting the ball back to Cincinnati. Cincy now had a chance to take their first lead of the game, but on their first play on offense Joe Burrow threw an interception to give the Chiefs the ball at midfield. Premium field position for Kansas City, but their second half funk on offense continued and they lost yardage on the drive. They once again punted back to Cincy, who took possession on their own 20-yard line.
The Kansas City defense got the Bengals into a 3rd down situation, but Joe Burrow used his legs to keep the drive alive:
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From there the Bengals used a combination of passes and runs to move into Kansas City territory. However the drive died at the 34-yard and Cincy kicked a 52-yard field goal. With six minute left in regulation, the Bengals held their first lead of the day at 24-21.
The Chiefs were facing elimination as they took the ball on their own 25-yard line. Yet for the first time in the second half they began to put a drive together. Using short passes and runs, the Chiefs were able to slowly move the ball into Cincinnati territory. The Chiefs were chewing up the clock as they went, obviously they were trying to take the lead back but at the same time leave as little as possible on the clock for the Bengals. With a little over a minute left in regulation, a pass to Travis Kelce gave the Chiefs a 1st down on the Bengals 5-yard line.
The Chiefs ran on 1st down, but Jerick McKinnon could only gain a yard. Mahomes dropped back to pass on 2nd and 3rd down, but was sacked each time. Facing 4th down with little time left, the Chiefs bled the clock and hit a game tying 44-yard field goal as time expired. We were headed to overtime at 24-24.
Time for the coin flip. The Bengals called heads and the coin came up tails. The Chiefs would get the first chance to win the game. The Chiefs got the ball on their own 25-yard line, but Patrick Mahomes first two pass attempts were incomplete. His third pass attempt ended in disaster:
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The Bengals got the ball at midfield and went right to work. Burrows hit a few passes and Joe Mixon ran the ball successfully to move the Bengals right down the field. At the Chiefs 13-yard line, they sent out kicker Evan McPherson to kick a game-winner:
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Boom! The Cincinnati Bengals came back from an 18 point deficit, tied for the biggest comeback in AFC Championship game history, to make their first Super Bowl since 1988. The Chiefs fans had to sit there stunned as their team choked.
What a game! I was rooting pretty hard for the Bengals since my brother has been a Bengals fan his entire life. That poor bastard hasn’t seen his team in the Super Bowl since he was in elementary school. He is a fricking grandfather now! Damn he’s getting old. Hmm, that’s kind of depressing to think about since he is my younger brother. Oh well.
Joe Burrow (23/38, 250 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT) has quickly shown there isn’t a moment too big for him to overcome. Only his second year in the league, he missed half of his rookie year to a leg injury, and he has already taken the Bengals to the Super Bowl. Tee Higgins (6 receptions, 103 yards) and Ja’Marr Chase (6 receptions, 54 yards, 1 TD) were his top targets. Joe Mixon (21 rushes, 88 yards) led the ground assault. Congratulations boys, you’ve earned this honor by not giving up when things looked dire.
I’m sure the Chiefs will be wondering for a long time what went wrong. They dominated the Bengals for nearly the entire first half before being dominated themselves in the second half. Patrick Mahomes (26/39, 275 yards, 3 TDs, 2 INTs) put up most of his numbers in the first half. Except for the two turnovers, they came later as the Chiefs were falling apart. Travis Kelce (9 receptions, 95 yards, 1 TD) and Tyreek Hill (7 receptions, 78 yards, 1 TD) were his top targets.
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Rams 20 49ers 17
The NFC Championship game wasn’t just a rematch like the AFC Championship game. The Rams and the 49ers were meeting for the third time this season since both teams reside in the NFC West division. Not only did the 49ers sweep the season series, they had won six consecutive games against the Rams. It looked like they were going to make it seven in a row before a 4th quarter meltdown let the Rams escape with a trip to the Super Bowl.
This game got off to a slow start as the defenses took control to start the game. Both teams punted with their first possession as neither was able to gain even a single 1st down. The Rams moved the ball with their 2nd possession, as Matthew Stafford started to find his receivers all over the field. Los Angeles moved the ball inside the 49ers 10-yard line, but on 3rd and goal Stafford had a pass tipped in the end zone and the 49ers intercepted it.
The Niners were able to get a first down, but that was it as they punted back to the Rams. The 1st quarter ended with no scoring. The Rams started driving again to start off the 2nd quarter, this time utilizing more running plays. Stafford capped off the drive with a 16 yard TD pass to Cooper Kupp and the Rams took a 7-0 lead halfway through the 2nd quarter.
The 49ers quickly responded as Jimmy Garoppolo finally found a groove. A 31 yard pass to Brandon Aiyuk moved the ball into the Rams territory. A few plays later Deebo Samuel took it from there:
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Damn that guy is electric. Samuel’s dynamic play tied the game up at 7-7. The Rams received the kickoff and went on the move again. They crossed midfield, but the drive died on the Niners 36-yard line. Matt Gay came out to try a 54-yard field goal, but he missed wide right. With less than two minutes left in the half the Niners took over. Garoppolo hit a few more passes, but time was running out. The 49ers made it to the Rams 20-yard line with 2 seconds left on the clock. Robbie Gould hit the 38 yard field goal and San Francisco took a 10-7 lead into the break.
The 3rd quarter started much like the first, with defense. The 49ers had the first possession, but couldn’t score and punted. The Rams took over and crossed midfield, but faced a 4th and one at the Niners 43-yard line. Too far for a field goal attempt, Los Angeles went for it. Matthews Stafford was stuffed on a QB sneak and the Rams turned the ball over on downs.
The Niners took advantage of their field position as Garoppolo connected on a few passes to move the team into the red zone. He then found George Kittle in the end zone for a 16 yard TD pass. With two minutes left in the 3rd quarter the 49ers went ahead 17-7.
The Rams went back to work as Matthew Stafford started to heat up again. As the game entered the 4th quarter he moved the Rams inside the red zone. Then from the 11-yard line he found Cooper Kupp in the end zone for a TD pass. With a minute gone in the final period, the Rams cut their deficit to 17-14.
The Niners took over and tried to run the ball, but were held back by the Rams defense. Garoppolo hit some passes to get the Niners across midfield, but the drive stalled at the Rams 45-yard line where they faced a 4th and 2 with 10 minutes left on the clock. Big decision time for head coach Kyle Shanahan. The Rams were out of timeouts already, if the Niners could get a first down they could take a lot of time off the clock and possibly increase their lead. However if they failed, they would give the Rams the ball at midfield with only a three point lead.
Normally I think the Niners would go for it. However the Rams had been beating back their running attack all evening long. The Niners decided to punt and play defense. The decision almost paid off immediately as Matthew Stafford dropped back to throw his first pass and was nearly picked off by Jaquiski Tartt:
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That drop was brutal. If Tartt would have held on the Niners could have iced the game from there. Instead Stafford recovered to hit Odell Beckham with a 44 yard pass and the 49ers were flagged for unnecessary roughness. Quickly the Rams were already on the Niners side of the field. They made it as far as the 22-yard line before the drive flamed out. Matt Gay kicked a 40 yard field goal and the game was tied at 17-17 with six minutes left.
After squandering their 10 point lead, it was time for the 49ers to make a move on offense. Yet they went three and out and had to punt back to Los Angeles. The Rams took over on their own 39-yard line and started to move the ball. After crossing midfield, Stafford found Cooper Kupp to set them up in field goal range:
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With a little under two minutes left the Rams kicked a field goal to retake the lead 20-17. The Niners had one more shot to tie the game or retake the lead, but it didn’t go well. After losing 3 yards in two plays, Jimmy Garoppolo threw a pass in desperation as Aaron Donald was dragging him down. The Rams intercepted the pass and took possession. A few kneel downs later the clock hit zero and Los Angeles earned their trip to the Super Bowl.
The Rams were able to move the ball all night, but they struggled to find the end zone. They only punted once the entire game yet only scored 20 points. Matthew Stafford (31/45, 337 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT) made enough plays to win, but boy did he get lucky when the 49ers dropped a gift interception. Cooper Kupp (11 receptions, 142 yards, 2 TDs) was awesome as usual and the Rams also got a strong performance from Odell Beckham (9 receptions, 113 yards).
The 49ers had control of this game in the 4th quarter, but let it slip away. Jimmy Garoppolo (16/30, 232 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT) had to drive the offense since the Rams defense shut the 49ers running game down hard. The Niners only gained 50 yards on the ground with 20 carries. Deebo Samuel (4 receptions, 72 yards, 1 TD) was the leading receiver and the leading rusher (7 rushes, 26 yards).
Man, for the second weekend in a row we were lucky enough to get close games that came right down to the final plays. What a playoffs this has been for the NFL after Super Wild Card Weekend was anything but super.
Now we get two weeks to prepare for the Super Bowl. The media will go into a frenzy and we will learn things about all the participants that we never cared about before and don't care about now. Let the hype begin.
I'll make my pick right now. I'm going with the Bengals. Not just for my brother. The Bengals have been making fewer mistakes. The Rams got lucky they didn't blow the game against Tampa and Stafford nearly gave the NFC Championship away, the 49ers just refused to take it.
Thanks for reading and feel free to leave a comment and/or a Super Bowl prediction below.