The only way for the 2021-22 NFL season to end was definitely the matchup this past Sunday in LA.

Super Bowl LVI was one for the ages. A clash of underrated quarterbacks and high-profile offenses led the headlines all week leading up to the big game. A weird matchup between the Cincinnati Bengals and Los Angeles Rams, with the home team winning it all, was just a final touch to a great NFL Postseason. So with the stage set, let’s take a dive into a great super bowl to cap off this NFL season.

The Cincinnati Bengals, America’s sweetheart team throughout the whole NFL Playoffs. Led by second-year quarterback and comeback player of the year Joe Burrow and his all-talented sidekick wide receiver Jamar Chase, this offense was destined to be great. Supporting casts like running back Joe Mixon and wide receivers Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd was just the starting point for this Bengals team. Along with an underrated defense, the boys in black and orange looked to bring home the first Super Bowl title in franchise history. 

Cincy didn’t get here any easy way. In fact, it was just the complete opposite of that. After hitting a bump in the road, a week 17 matchup against the Chiefs was just what they needed. The Bengals clinched the AFC North that game, winning 34-31, and the boys never looked back. A week 18 win put Cincy up against the Las Vegas Raiders, a team with their own fair share of problems that season. After a close win in the Wild Card round over Las Vegas, a Tennessee Titans team is on the road awaiting the Bengals. A confident Bengals team snuck one away with a game-winner and, in the conference championship, bested the same Kansas City team they faced in week 17 on the road to make it to the big stage.

Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Rams, a team that had been favored all season coming into this matchup. However, a great start to the year was just what the team needed. With newly acquired veteran quarterback Matthew Stafford from Detroit and supporting casts of Cooper Kupp, Tyler Higbee, and a stud defense led by Aaron Donald and Jalen Ramsey was just the recipe to bring home a Super Bowl in their home stadium. 

After a great start to the season, beating up teams like the Bears to open the season and getting good wins against the Buccaneers and the Colts, the Rams looked primed and ready to make a Super Bowl run from the get-go. After starting the season 7-1, the Rams lost three straight, all to injury-riddled teams and on the come up. It wasn’t an excellent look for LA, but after putting together some trades at the trade deadline for Von Miller and bringing in Odell Beckham Jr. from free agency, they finally put together some wins. The LA boys finished 5-1 and as NFC West champions, putting them in the playoffs as the three seed. An easy win against division rival Arizona set up a difficult path for the Rams. Going to Tampa Bay was a tough task, especially when you have to face arguably the greatest player of all time in Tom Brady. However, the Rams snuck out a win after narrowly blowing a 25-point lead. The NFC Championship saw a familiar foe against yet another division rival San Francisco 49ers. Despite being down 10 points going into the final quarter, the Rams pulled out a huge 20-17 win to get to the Super Bowl on their own home turf.

After a great postseason, the 2021-22 Super Bowl was finally here. The boys from Cincy and the great and powerful LA Rams looked to put on a show for all NFL fans to see. A swagged-out Joe Burrow showed up in Cam Newton-esque fashion in his always confident ways. Even when the lights are bright, that man will never be fazed. Pregame was anxious for both sides. To hoist a Super Bowl trophy could start a bright future for both teams, and the game was on.

The start of Super Bowl LVI was slow, but it started to ramp up. Trading of three and outs between both teams set up a 2nd possession touchdown drive for the Rams. Between Cam Akers running and Cooper Kupp’s playmaking, the Rams found a way to get into the red zone and find Odell Beckham Jr. for the touchdown on a beautiful stop-and-go that fooled the Bengals’ secondary. The Bengals came down to score a field goal late in the first despite a great 50-yard play from Burrow to Chase, and the Rams were up 7-3.

The second quarter finally showed some flashy plays that both offenses could bring to the table. The Rams started the quarter with the ball, and the always reliable duo of Stafford and Kupp connected yet again for a touchdown in the back right corner of the endzone. Now down 13-3, the Bengals had to get going. Some great runs from Mixon and a couple of great catches by Higgins and Boyd set up Cincy in the red zone. With Mixon on a roll in the ground game, the Rams had to commit to the run on first and goal. Mixon got the pitch back to him, leading the Ram’s secondary bite on the run. Higgins snuck behind Taylor Rapp and Eric Weddle to score the first touchdown for Who Dey nation. A 13-10 lead in favor of the Rams at half wasn’t much, and it was still anyone’s game.

After a great halftime show featuring some of hip hop’s greatest, the second half started with some fireworks. The Bengals got the ball to start, and first play, Higgins was streaking down the field. Under pressure, Burrow heaved it up to him, and Higgins managed to catch the ball and walk into the end zone for a touchdown. A controversial play because when Higgins was going to try and catch the ball, he grabbed Jalen Ramsey’s facemask. It should have been an easy offensive pass interference call, but it wasn’t. The Rams had to get going again on offense, but a first play interception by the Bengals on the next drive looked to be the fate of the Rams.

Despite excellent field position, Cincy couldn’t capitalize on it and get into the end zone. Instead, they settled for a field goal to now be up 20-13. After a Rams field goal to bring the game to 20-16, the defenses stepped up for both teams, not giving an inch to each other. It wasn’t until the Bengals punted the ball away with five minutes left in the game that the Rams finally found a groove. With Beckham Jr. now being ruled out the rest of the game because of a knee injury, it was all up to Kupp and Stafford. A couple of great runs by Cam Akers to start the drive was just what LA needed. From then on out, it was all Stafford and Kupp; the duo combined for six receptions on the drive for just over 40 yards and a touchdown to cap it all off. 

With just over one minute left and being down 23-20, all Burrow had to do was lead the Bengals into field goal range to tie or win it with a touchdown. Despite his efforts, his offensive line was not there for him. The line gave up 7 sacks on the night, but the Rams defensive front ramped up the pressure on Burrow that final drive. The Bengals had a turnover on downs, and the Rams sealed the game up with a game-winning hit from Aaron Donald. The weird thing about this play was that if Burrow had a sliver more time from help from his offensive line, Jamar Chase was wide open down the field because Jalen Ramsey had fallen just 10 yards prior. The Rams took home the win 23-20 and secured its first Super Bowl title in LA and the second in franchise history.

A fantastic NFL season, to say the least, now has ended. But now, we can look forward to the future and see that just as summer comes to a close, the NFL will be in full swing again, and football fans worldwide cannot wait.