SoFi Stadium shook. The Rams danced. Confetti sprayed.
1000's screamed, many times, answering the public-address announcer’s bellowing query of exactly who will personal this Inglewood palace within the upcoming Tremendous Bowl.
They’ve chanted it many occasions earlier than, however it’s by no means fairly resounded like this.
“Whose home?”
“Rams’ home!”
It occurred. It actually occurred. The Rams promised, and delivered, and at the moment are staying residence for the journey of a lifetime after defeating the San Francisco 49ers 20-17 on Sunday within the NFC championship recreation.
Their home. Their second. And now their magic.
On Sunday, Feb. 13, at SoFi Stadium, the Rams will face the Cincinnati Bengals in Tremendous Bowl LVI.
Take into consideration that. The Tremendous Bowl. Being performed in Los Angeles. With a Los Angeles crew.
“It feels superb. It feels superb,” Rams defensive again Jalen Ramsey stated. “I ain’t going to deceive you. That’s actually the one phrase I can consider. It feels superb.”
Superb? It’s flat-out nuts. It will likely be solely the second time in NFL historical past — and the second time in two years — the league’s title bout will probably be performed on the residence subject of one of many individuals.
“To have the ability to play at residence on this home that [Stan] Kroenke constructed, this iconic venue, is actually distinctive,” Rams coach Sean McVay stated.
The celebration started with a large hugging social gathering on the sector Sunday and can proceed for the following two weeks. The Tremendous Bowl is the largest sports activities occasion in the US, and the Rams will probably be its focal point, and the excitement will probably be overwhelming.
House Tremendous residence.
“Unbelievable. ... Incredible,” Kroenke, the Rams’ proprietor, stated from the sector throughout Sunday’s postgame trophy ceremony. “You go searching right here ... whose home?”
Kroenke spent $5 billion to construct this stadium on the dream that his crew would play within the Tremendous Bowl right here. The Rams’ entrance workplace employed the sport’s brightest younger coach and bought a bevy of star gamers in hopes of creating that occur.
On a raucous stage amid fixed deafening cheers from a crowd of cut up loyalties, all of it got here collectively.
“It’s an amazing signal of the celebrities shining the brightest once they wanted to,” McVay stated.
The Rams not solely overcame a 10-point deficit within the fourth quarter in opposition to a crew that had overwhelmed them six consecutive occasions, however in addition they did it with the gamers collected for simply this event.
“You go down 17-7, it doesn’t look good, however the guys simply stayed within the second,” McVay stated.
And what moments they have been, good passes and lunging tackles and followers so charged up that afterward they pounded on the partitions of the postgame interview room.
The Los Angeles Rams have by no means received a Tremendous Bowl and have been in solely two earlier Tremendous Bowls, most just lately a loss to the New England Patriots after the 2018 season.
They've proven nice promise since their return to Southern California six years in the past after a 22-year absence. However in an extended historical past that included a 48-year keep earlier than they left city, that promise is but to have been fulfilled. The noise that continued lengthy after the top of the sport was for the frustration of missed possibilities, and the hope that this time, taking part in the largest of video games in their very own yard, issues will lastly be totally different.
“That is for everyone,” quarterback Matthew Stafford stated.
Stafford, acquired in a commerce final offseason, brilliantly led the Rams on three fourth-quarter scoring drives that included an 11-yard landing cross to Cooper Kupp and an ideal five-for-five efficiency on the game-winning drive that ended with Matt Homosexual’s 30-yard subject aim.
“It is a complete lot higher than I believed it was gonna be like,” Stafford stated. “That is an unbelievable crew, an unbelievable environment.”
Odell Beckham Jr., a petulant broad receiver signed throughout the common season, caught three passes for 42 yards on these ultimate three drives — 9 passes for 113 yards general — and was principally inconceivable to cowl.
“He’s so sensible, so proficient, so gifted,” McVay stated of Beckham. “And he’s introduced such a charisma and a presence, actually a swag to our crew.”
Von Miller, an getting older outdoors linebacker acquired in a midseason commerce, helped lead a protection that held the 49ers to twenty-eight yards and recorded an interception on San Francisco’s final three possessions.
“There’s one thing in regards to the shiny lights that make you sweat,” Miller stated. “There’s one thing in regards to the shiny lights that carry essentially the most out of you.”
The lights lastly went out on the 49ers with 1:09 left when quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo was grabbed by Rams star defensive lineman Aaron Donald and flipped a desperation cross that bounced off the fingers of working again JaMycal Hasty and into the arms of linebacker Travin Howard for a game-clinching interception.
Donald earlier had gathered the protection collectively for a mixture scolding and pep discuss. The protection listened, then answered.
“It was one thing about how dangerous do we wish it,” Ramsey stated of Donald’s discuss. “Like, we’re proper right here. We received to do extra. We received to present a bit of bit further. We received to present extra. We simply went on the market and did that, actually.”
Much more will probably be required in opposition to an upstart Bengals crew that earned its means right here by rebounding from an 18-point deficit to defeat the mighty Kansas Metropolis Chiefs 27-24 in extra time Sunday. The Rams will probably be about four-point favorites and will win the sport, however the Bengals and second-year star quarterback Joe Burrow don't have anything to lose, making them wildly harmful. Including to the intrigue, their coach, Zac Taylor, is a former Rams quarterbacks coach below McVay.
“Nice, resilient crew. It didn’t look good for them, they usually’ve simply continued to indicate why they’re a mentally powerful outfit,” McVay stated of the Bengals. “I feel that’s mirrored by their head coach. I do know what an amazing coach he's. ... I’m trying ahead to diving into the tape and determining how we are able to put collectively a superb recreation plan to attempt to see if we are able to end this factor off.”
The Rams almost completed themselves off early in Sunday’s recreation, stumbling and bumbling whereas the 49ers’ devoted — about 60% of the gang — stored chanting, “Beat L.A.”
Within the first half alone, Stafford threw an interception in the long run zone, his receivers dropped one potential landing cross and one positive landing cross, and Homosexual shanked a 54-yard field-goal strive.
On the finish of the half, Ramsey jumped into the face of kicker Robbie Gould they usually needed to be separated. Ramsey then threw his helmet into the bench in frustration.
The Rams legitimately ought to have been main no less than 21-7 on the half, however as an alternative they trailed 10-7, a margin that turned 10 factors earlier than that beautiful fourth-quarter domination. It was a domination that was helped early within the quarter when security Jaquiski Tartt dropped a positive interception from Stafford.
“We simply needed to lock in a bit of bit extra,” Ramsey stated.
Now they’re locked in for the following two weeks, headed towards historical past whereas going nowhere.
“That’s dope,” Ramsey stated of the Rams’ Tremendous Bowl home-field benefit. “How they try this? Like NFC, AFC. Who’s the house crew technically? Y’all know? I don’t know. Doesn’t matter. We’re going to be swagged out.”
For the document, the Bengals would be the residence crew.
However you recognize whose home it's.
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