Super Bowl 2022: Quarter-by-Quarter Score and Final Stats for Rams vs. Bengals

The final game of a thrilling NFL postseason, Super Bowl LVI fittingly came down to the wire on Sunday night. The Los Angeles Rams and Cincinnati Bengals had played a competitive contest, and the outcome hadn't yet been decided in the closing minutes.

But with a late go-ahead touchdown and a final defensive stand, the Rams ended a 22-year championship drought by holding on for a 23-20 victory, winning the Super Bowl title in front of their home fans at SoFi Stadium. In the process, the Bengals were denied of winning the first Super Bowl title in their franchise's history.

Los Angeles took a 23-20 lead on Matthew Stafford's 1-yard touchdown pass to Cooper Kupp with 1 minute and 25 seconds to go. Then, the Rams' defense prevented the Bengals from tying the game or reclaiming the lead, as Cincinnati turned the ball over on downs following a failed 4th-and-1 attempt from the Los Angeles 49-yard line.

Here's a look at the scoring breakdown for Super Bowl LVI, followed by the game's notable stat leaders.

First Quarter: Rams 7, Bengals 3

Second Quarter: Rams 13, Bengals 10

Third Quarter: Bengals 20, Rams 16

Final: Rams 23, Bengals 20

QB Joe Burrow: 23-for-33 for 263 yards and one touchdown

RB Joe Mixon: 72 rushing yards and a 6-yard passing touchdown

WR Tee Higgins: Four receptions for 100 yards and two touchdowns

WR Ja'Marr Chase: Five receptions for 89 yards

CB Chidobe Awuzie: Five tackles and one interception

FS Jessie Bates III: Six tackles and one interception

The Bengals were much more effective running the ball than the Rams, who had only 43 yards on 23 carries (1.9 yards per attempt). Mixon had 72 of Cincinnati's rushing yards, and he also became the fifth non-QB to throw a touchdown pass in the Super Bowl, per ESPN Stats & Info.

While Chase was the Bengals' top wide receiver and the Offensive Rookie of the Year for the 2021 season, it was Higgins who led Cincinnati in receiving in Super Bowl LVI. The second-year WR had a pair of TD catches, including a remarkable 75-yard scoring grab on a pass from Burrow on the opening play of the second half.

Although Higgins' second touchdown catch gave the Bengals a 17-13 lead, that was the final time they got into the end zone. And their only points the rest of the game came on Evan McPherson's 38-yard field goal with 10:15 to go in the third quarter.

One of the primary reasons for Cincinnati's lack of offense late in the game was because it couldn't keep Burrow standing up. He was sacked seven times in the game, as the Rams' pass rush put a ton of pressure on him, particularly in the second half.

Another issue for the Bengals was their lack of third-down production, as they converted only three of their 14 attempts. Cincinnati was also 1-for-3 on fourth downs.

The Bengals' defense was solid for much of the night, and they notched a pair of interceptions off Stafford, the lone two turnovers of the game. But Cincinnati only turned the two picks into three points, as it was forced to punt after Bates' interception in the second quarter.

With the loss, the Bengals fell to 0-3 in Super Bowls. This was their first appearance in the game since the 1988 season.

QB Matthew Stafford: 26-for-40 for 283 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions

WR Cooper Kupp: Eight receptions for 92 yards and two touchdowns

WR Odell Beckham Jr.: Two receptions for 52 yards and one touchdown

DT Aaron Donald: Four tackles, three QB hits and two sacks

LB Von Miller: Two sacks, three QB hits and one pass deflection

DT A'Shawn Robinson, LB Ernest Jones and LB Leonard Floyd: One sack apiece

Stafford waited a long time to play in a Super Bowl, as he never even won a playoff game over his first 12 NFL seasons (all with the Detroit Lions). In his first year with the Rams, the 34-year-old quarterback made it to Super Bowl LVI, and he played quite well once he got there.

Los Angeles never got its running game going, so Stafford threw the ball 40 times. That included a trio of touchdown passes, one of which went to Beckham, who was also playing in his first Super Bowl.

Beckham had two big catches for the Rams, but he likely would have had more if he hadn't suffered a left knee injury in the second quarter that caused him to miss the rest of the game. At that point, Stafford had to rely on Kupp, the 2021 NFL Offensive Player of the Year.

Kupp added another award on Sunday night, as he was named Super Bowl MVP after notching a pair of touchdowns receptions, including the game-winning score. He became only the eight wide receiver to win the award, and the first since Julian Edelman for the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LIII (which came against the Rams).

Although Los Angeles' defense didn't force any turnovers, it had a huge impact in the game. The Rams recorded seven sacks, and they hit Burrow 11 times. If Burrow had had more time in the pocket, the Super Bowl could have had a much different result.

It wasn't a surprise that Miller had two sacks, considering he's excelled on this stage before. He had 2.5 sacks for the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl 50, earning the MVP honors in that game.

Not only did the Rams capture their first Super Bowl title since the 1999 season, but Sean McVay became the youngest head coach to win the Super Bowl at 36 years and 20 days, per ESPN Stats & Info.