The Los Angeles Rams have officially done it! They were able to knock off the San Francisco 49ers 20-17 in order to advance onto the Super Bowl. A game that they will be playing against the Cincinnati Bengals in their own stadium!
The game started out incredibly slow, with neither team scoring in the first quarter. It took flight in the second though, as the 49ers grabbed a solid 10-7 lead. San Francisco scored again in the third quarter to go up 17-7, but apparently let their foot off the gas pedal and the Rams stormed back into the game. They tied it up and then kicked a field goal to take the lead. Jimmy Garoppolo and the 49ers had the ball with one minute left and a chance to make a huge comeback drive, but Garoppolo got intercepted.
As bad as the interception was, Garoppolo didn’t play horrible. He just didn’t make them any better. He threw for 232 yards, two touchdowns and that pick, but their run game was utterly useless. Deebo Samuel had seven carries for 26 yards and Elijah Mitchell had 11 carries for 20 yards, neither with a rushing touchdown. Samuel had four receptions for 72 yards and a long 44-yard touchdown and George Kittle hauled in the other score. San Francisco kept it close the whole game even down the stretch, and had a chance to easily intercept Matthew Stafford on the drive where they kicked the leading field goal. However, Jaquiski Tartt wasn’t able to bring it all the way in, and right after that the Rams had a 40 plus yard completion. Little things like that change the outcome of the game, but this team wasn’t expected to make it this far anyways.
Flipping over to the Rams now. Los Angeles was lucky that they won this game. They missed out on a number of opportunities early on including a huge downfield touchdown that their rookie wide receiver dropped. Had he hauled in the pass, Stafford’s numbers would have been even more impressive. The veteran quarterback threw for 337 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. Cam Akers led them on the ground with 13 touches for 48 yards and Sony Michel provided ten carries for only 16. As you might expect, Cooper Kupp was dominant. He had 11 catches for 142 yards and two touchdowns on the night. Odell Beckham had nine for 113 himself. It’s clear that this offense is really starting to click now, and this defense is unbelievably talented. Aaron Donald and Von Miller make for a ridiculous combination on the defensive line and Jalen Ramsey is arguably the best cornerback in football. Plus, Eric Weddle just came out of retirement and led the team in tackles during this game with nine!
It was a joy to see the Rams win this game given how badly Stafford and Kupp specifically have worked to get to this point in their careers. Kupp wasn’t able to play in the Rams last Super Bowl appearance due to a major injury, but he should be fully ready to go this time around with the hopes of capping off his incredible season with a ring.