Earlier than he joined the Rams, Matthew Stafford had by no means gained a playoff sport.
Earlier than this season, the Cincinnati Bengals had gone 31 years with out successful one. It was the longest energetic postseason drought of the 4 main skilled sports activities.
Discuss colliding Hollywood tales.
The Rams and Bengals will meet in Tremendous Bowl LVI on Feb. 13 at SoFi Stadium, the glistening $5-billion palace that performed host to Sunday’s NFC championship sport.
“It’s past surreal,” stated Rams govt Kevin Demoff, ducking out of the locker room delirium to talk to a reporter. “We dream of shifting this group again to Los Angeles, constructing this stadium, internet hosting a Tremendous Bowl, internet hosting the championship, and we beat the 49ers to make the Tremendous Bowl in your individual constructing? It’s unbelievable.”
To Rams cornerback Jalen Ramsey, it was all a lovely thriller.
“I don’t know the way just like the logistics of it work,” Ramsey stated. “Hopefully we will get our locker room. I don’t know the way all that stuff works, however hopefully we might be up in our locker room and have the music enjoying and type of get a vibe and hopefully L.A. comes and packs the stadium out. I imply, simply enjoying within the Tremendous Bowl regardless.”
The Rams had misplaced six in a row to San Francisco however washed that every one away Sunday with a 20-17 victory that secured them a spot on the NFL’s greatest stage. The Rams would be the second group to play the Tremendous Bowl on their house discipline after the Tampa Bay Buccaneers did so a season in the past.
Within the earlier sport Sunday, the Bengals denied the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs a 3rd consecutive journey to the Tremendous Bowl with a 27-24 upset at Arrowhead Stadium.
Each groups needed to overcome massive deficits. The Bengals had been down 18 factors earlier than rallying to win in time beyond regulation. The Rams trailed within the second half, 17-7, earlier than clinching the win with 13 unanswered factors.
That arrange a showdown between two groups led by quarterbacks chosen No. 1 total, Stafford and the Bengals’ Joe Burrow, and two head coaches who used to work facet by facet.
Cincinnati’s Zac Taylor was an assistant large receivers coach in Sean McVay’s first season with the Rams, then quarterbacks coach on the 2018 Rams group that misplaced within the Tremendous Bowl to New England.
“Nice resilient group,” McVay stated of the Bengals. “It didn’t look good for them, they usually’ve simply continued to indicate why they’re a mentally robust outfit. I feel that’s mirrored by their head coach. I do know what an incredible coach he's.
“They’ve carried out an incredible job this 12 months. We’ve crossed over with them a bit of bit however I’m wanting ahead to diving into the tape and determining how we will put collectively a superb sport plan to attempt to see if we will end this factor off.”
One of many gamers who voiced a convincing suggestion for Taylor was Rams deal with Andrew Whitworth, who spent his first 11 seasons with the Bengals and final 5 in Los Angeles.
“With out a query, a bit of piece of me continues to be there with them,” Whitworth stated. “After which clearly right here and the whole lot I’ve given to this place. It’s a scenario I didn’t dream of ever attending to do, so it’s going to be such a cool, unbelievable second.”
Cincinnati is 0-2 in Tremendous Bowls, shedding to the 49ers on the finish of the 1981 and ’88 seasons.
Boomer Esiason was Cincinnati’s quarterback within the second of these, when Joe Montana directed a 92-yard drive within the ultimate three minutes, throwing the successful landing cross to John Taylor with 34 seconds left.
In a textual content Sunday night time, that former Bengals quarterback in contrast the present one to a different NFL nice.
“Burrow’s bought some [Tom] Brady-like tendencies,” Esiason wrote.
Burrow has two excellent receivers in rookie Ja’Marr Chase — his former teammate at Louisiana State — and Tee Higgins.
However the Rams have two star receivers of their very own who performed large roles in getting them this far. Cooper Kupp, who made a powerful case for this season’s NFL most-valuable-player award, scored each touchdowns for the Rams on Sunday. And Odell Beckham Jr. made 9 catches towards the 49ers, a number of of them essential.
Requested about Stafford, Beckham stated: “It’s the whole lot you'll hope and need for. He had that look in his eyes all sport. He motivated us. He pushed us. One play at a time. He drove us down. And he’s been doing that every one postseason. All season, actually, since I’ve been right here. He’s had that look on him. Simply completely happy that we may get him up to now.”
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