Super Bowl LIV brings an unexpected but exciting matchup
February 17, 2022
Super Bowl LIV (54) brought a very unexpected match up between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Los Angeles Rams. While the Rams have been one of the favorite teams, expected to make a big playoff push all year. The Bengals, however, have been a team who have gone under the radar, at one point not even predicted to make the playoffs. While the Rams have gone through some small struggles throughout the year, their overall talent has seemed to always cause troubles for teams offensively and defensively. For the Bengals, the rising stars of rookie Jamar Chase and quarterback Joe Burrow have led the way to this super bowl appearance. Even with the dynamic duo for the Bengals, the Rams team full of stars made the Bengals clear underdogs for their match up.
The Bengals won the coin toss and opted to kick off in the first half and receive in the second half. The Rams first drive was instantly met with the Bengals aggressive defense resulting in a Rams punt. The Bengals got the ball and had some good plays with the drive, but they ultimately turned the ball over at the 50. The Rams capitalized on this drive allowing for a 17 yard touchdown pass to Odell Beckham Jr. from Matthew Stafford. Matt Gay made the extra point making it a 7-0 lead for the Rams. The Bengals put a good string of plays together allowing for a 29 yard field goal by Evan McPherson ending the 1st quarter with a 7-3 score. The Rams started the second quarter off with a good mix of plays allowing for a 11 yard touchdown pass to Cooper Kupp for a touchdown. The extra point was bobbled leading to a 13-3 score. Rams star wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. suffered a knee injury during the second quarter taking him out of the game. The Bengals answered back later in the quarter with a trick play resulting in a 5 yard touchdown by Tee Higgins thrown by running back Joe Mixon. With Evan McPherson making the extra point, the game became 13-10 at the end of the half.
Source: Rocnation (Press Release Photo )
The halftime show was very anticipated because of the theme being 90’s pop music having some of the 90’s biggest stars perform including Eminem, Dr. Dre, 50 Cent, Snoop Dogg, Kendrick Lamar and Mary J. Blige. The stage was set to represent the city of Compton with each performance being in a place in Compton. The stars sang some of their most famous songs including In Da Club, Lose Yourself, Alright, Still D.R.E, Family Affair, M.a.a.D City, California Girl, The Next Episode and No More Drama. This halftime show did have a specific target audience, but it was set up so people from all ages enjoyed it while giving the nostalgia feeling to the adults who grew up listening to this music. “ I didn’t mind the show, but during my halftime show my parents were really getting into the songs. It was weird seeing my parents jam out to something they grew up listening to.” — Reilly Dibble
With every year, fun and creative commercials run during the Super Bowl. Two of the most beloved and interesting commercials that ran during the Super Bowl this year were a QR code commercial that when scanned advertised the crypto currency of Bitcoin making it a unique commercial not seen before. Another one that received a lot of love during the commercial break was the Sally Seashell starring Zendaya and had choreographers performing on a beach setting, making a creative ad.
In the third quarter, the Bengals connected on a deep play 75 yard touchdown to Tee Higgins giving the Bengals their first lead of the game and making it 17-13 after the Evan McPherson extra point. The Rams offense wasn’t able to find any success leading to the Bengals regaining possession. That ultimately sets up a 38 yard field goal for Evan McPherson to give the Bengals a 20-13 lead. The Rams ended up settling for a 41 yard field goal by Matt Gay, making the game 20-16 to end the third quarter. The Bengals entered the 4th quarter in control of the game and trying to run the clock out. The 4th quarter was a battle to score the touchdown to seal the game with the Rams pulling out some miraculous plays to end up scoring with 1:25 to play with a pass to Cooper Kupp from the one yard line, making the score 23-20 after Matt Gay’s extra point. The Bengals had one more drive to try to tie or win the game, but with the efforts of the Rams defense and some great plays by star Aaron Donald, the Rams stopped the Bengals and kneed the game out. The Rams ended up winning 23-20 making it their second Super Bowl win in franchise history, and their first as the Los Angeles Rams.
While the Minnesota Vikings did not participate in this year’s Super Bowl and playoffs, Minnesota roots have found a way to affect the Super Bowl through its long history. This can be seen by the superb players coming from the state of Minnesota itself, players who played college in the state, and the making of the Super Bowl rings, which are made in Minnesota by Jostens. A major part of the Rams success this season and their Super Bowl win was offensive coordinator Kevin O’Connell, who will be the Vikings new head coach for next season. Ryan Santoso, a kicker for the Rams who played for the University of Minnesota, was a part of this year’s Rams success highlighting the contribution Minnesota brought to this year’s Super Bowl.
