Super Bowl 2022 Score: Final Box Score and Analysis from Rams vs. Bengals
Unlike the last four Super Bowls, all of which were determined by two scores, Super Bowl LVI between the Los Angeles Rams and Cincinnati Bengals remained close until the end.
The Rams got on the board first and were leading by 10 points at the beginning of the second quarter, but a Bengals trick play that saw running back Joe Mixon toss wideout Tee Higgins a touchdown pass shortly before halftime changed the momentum. An ill-timed Matthew Stafford interception with just over 2:00 to go in the first half sucked all the air out of SoFi Stadium. The Rams still led by three at halftime, but it didn’t feel like it.
When the Bengals got the ball back to start the second half, they made the most of their opportunity immediately. Joe Burrow connected with Higgins for a 75-yard touchdown to give the Bengals their first lead of the game, 17-13. Another Stafford interception came off the hands of Rams wideout Ben Skowronek, who took on a bigger role in the second half after Odell Beckham Jr. went down with a non-contact injury in the second quarter.
But Stafford and Cooper Kupp did what they had done all season. When the game was on the line, they dialed in. On first-and-goal inside two minutes, offsetting penalties nullified a four-yard Kupp touchdown. Three plays later, Stafford connected again with his No. 1 weapon for a one-yard score to give the Rams the final 23-20 lead that Aaron Donald would secure with a crucial pressure on Burrow on the following drive.
We’ll take a look at the key box score stats from the game and break things down in more detail. The full box score can be found here.
Matthew Stafford: 26/40, 283 yds, 3 TD, 2 INT
Cooper Kupp: 8 rec, 92 yds, 2 TD
Odell Beckham Jr.: 2 rec, 52 yds, 1 TD
Cam Akers: 13 att, 21 yds
Aaron Donald: 4 tackles, 2 sacks, 2 TFL, 3 QB hits
Joe Burrow: 22/33, 263 yds, 1 TD,
Tee Higgins: 4 rec, 100 yds, 2 TD
Ja’Marr Chase: 5 rec, 89 yds
Joe Mixon: 15 att, 72 yds
D.J. Reader: 1 sack, 1 TFL, 3 QB hits
On the NBC broadcast, Cris Collinsworth said the final drive by Stafford and Kupp would go down as one of the greatest drives in Super Bowl history. That, as well as Donald’s timely sack, will be the most remembered storylines from this game years from now.
There were plenty of others, of course. Losing Beckham, who said just days ago he was willing to sacrifice salary to remain with the Rams, the team that “feels like home,” was heartbreaking for the Rams, and very nearly torpedoed their Super Bowl hopes.
Then Burrow went down with an injury in the fourth quarter after he got rolled up on by teammates and defenders alike. He didn’t actually miss any snaps, but he and top weapon Ja’Marr Chase couldn’t lead the team into field-goal range on the final drive before Donald wrapped Burrow up on fourth-and-1 at the Los Angeles 49.
Much had been made about Stafford’s ball insecurity all year and all week heading into this game. After all, Stafford tied for the league lead in interceptions in the regular season, with 17.
But the stat sheet, which shows Stafford’s two interceptions in a Super Bowl, looks worse than things were in reality. The first, with 2:10 to go in the first half at the Cincinnati 43, essentially acted as a punt. The second was poorly timed right after the Bengals had taken their first lead 17-13, but there’s an asterisk next to it, as it bounced off Skowronek’s hands.
Still, it was fitting that the Super Bowl MVP wasn’t Stafford, but Kupp. After earning the receiving triple crown during the regular season, Kupp continued to prove his value during the postseason—and especially during this game. On the Rams’ final game-winning drive, Stafford and Kupp connected for four receptions and 39 yards.
When their first connection for a score with 1:44 remaining was nullified by offsetting penalties (offensive holding on the Rams’ Rob Havenstein and unnecessary roughness on the Bengals’ Vonn Bell), with the Bengals leading 20-16, it could have sealed the Rams’ fate. But Stafford went back to Kupp in the corner of the end zone, and Kupp came through once again, solidifying his MVP performance.
For the second time in as many seasons, the team hosting the Super Bowl saw its own colors of confetti rain down as it secured the Lombardi Trophy.
Final: Rams 23, Bengals 20
