Note: The game is never over until the two minute warning in the 4th quarter, anything can happen.
The Super Bowl is one of the most popular annual events in America. People from all over the country make their way to the chosen stadium to see two teams battle over the most important title of their careers. This year, the two teams were the Cincinnati Bengals and the Los Angeles Rams, who met at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, home of the Rams.
We asked the students and staff of Parker School who they thought would win the Super Bowl and what their favorite game day food is. It was a close result with 72 responses: 51.4% (37 votes) in favor of the Bengals, and 48.6% (35 votes) in favor of the Rams. The survey also revealed that the most popular foods were nachos, chips and dip, and chicken wings.
For non football fans, here is a brief history of the teams who played:
The Bengals have not played in the Super Bowl for over 3 decades, whereas the Rams have played in the Super Bowl in the past 4 years. In order to get to Super Bowl LVI, the Bengals won the AFC championship against the Kansas City Chiefs and the Rams won the NFC championship against the San Francisco 49ers.
Most people did not expect for these two teams to play in the Super Bowl, and instead expected the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Kansas City Chiefs one again. The Bengals were unexpected because they have not won a playoff game in over three decades. In the Playoffs, the Rams’ won against the Buccaneers, which was surprising to most people because let's be honest, no one can ever rule out Tom Brady.
The event started out with a beautiful rendition of ‘America the Beautiful’ by Jhené Aiko and a memorable National Anthem sung by Mickey Guyton, with the jets flying over SoFi Stadium in unison. Next was the coin toss by retired tennis player Billie Jean King. The Rams chose tails and the Bengals chose heads. The Bengals ended up winning the coin toss, which leads us to…kickoff!
In the 1st quarter, wide receiver OBJ made the first touchdown for the Rams. Then, as the ball was in the Bengals hands, quarterback Joe Burrow made a huge throw to his teammate who got them to the 15 yard line. Much to their dismay, the Bengals were unable to score a touchdown, so rookie Evan Mcpherson (he never misses) made a field goal. The score was 7-3 with the Rams leading by 4 points.
As the clock switched into the 2nd quarter, the Rams were able to score another touchdown by wide receiver Cooper Kupp, but unfortunately the field goal kick was blocked and intercepted by the Bengals (score: 13-3 Rams). In this past season, Kupp has set the record for the most receiving yards and won Offensive Player of the Year at the 2022 NFL Honors and eventually Super Bowl MVP.
Breaking their losing streak, the Bengals scored their first touchdown, making the count 10-13. After dropping the ball, one the most important players on the Ram’s team, wide receiver OBJ injured his left knee and was out for the rest of the game. Despite this setback, Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford throws a ‘bomb’ (term for a big throw) towards the end zone but it was intercepted by the Bengals, marking the end of the first half. This only leaves one of the most highly anticipated parts of the Super Bowl: the halftime show!
This year, the lineup was Mary J. Blige, Snoop Dog, Kendrick Lamar, Dr. Dre, Eminem, and a surprise appearance from 50 Cent. They sang all of their classics and throwbacks marking the first time that Hip-Hop artists have ever performed at a Super Bowl halftime show.
As the stage was deconstructed and the crowds quieted, the teams returned to the field for the 3rd quarter. In less than 20 seconds, the punt was caught by the Bengals and ran an impressive 75 yards with the ball until they reached the end zone, bumping their score to 20-13. They were not done yet. The Bengals then made an interception, but were unable to reach a touchdown and could not make it into field goal range. The ball was now in the hands of the Rams. They were also unable to make a touchdown, showing just how good the Bengals’ defensive line is, and settled for a field goal instead (Score: 16-20 Bengals).
The last 15 minutes of the 4th and final quarter started. It was an eventful quarter, with teams alternating possessions of the ball as each of them could not score a touchdown…until the last 3 minutes. There were many flags on plays near the end zone on both the Rams and the Bengals but the Rams were able to make the final touchdown of the game. With one final snap, the game ended, resulting in a 23-20 score and a Super Bowl win for the Rams.
PHOTO BY GETTY IMAGES
The LA Rams celebrate their Super Bowl LVI victory.
The cheers of the fans could be heard from miles away, as blue and yellow confetti rained onto the players as they waited in anticipation to hold the one and only Vince Lombardi trophy.
Super Bowl LVI was one of the best games by far, with both teams neck and neck throughout all four quarters, and making some pretty impressive throws. Congrats Rams!